Betrayal of Trust Hurts the Most
by kensi54382
Summary: Tony is betrayed by someone he thought he could trust very much. The repercussions of this betrayal leads to a difficult situation for Tony, and for everyone that loves and cares about him. Will he ever be able to trust those around him again?
1. Prologue

Tony was exhausted, but he didn't know why. He had just spent a week sleeping, hadn't he? Brad had told him that he had spent a week in the hospital bed he was currently laying in. Didn't that mean he had been asleep? He knew it meant he had been in a coma, but surely his body would have been resting in that time? All these questions had Tony confused. He really needed someone to clarify things for him. He needed to know what was going on. He needed to understand what all the tests Brad had been running since he had woken up two hours earlier were for. He needed someone to be with him and help him relax.

"Hi, Tony," said a familiar voice.

Tony looked up at his visitor with a bright smile. He reached out with his right hand in an effort to get some reassurance.

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked as he sat next to the bed and gently squeezed his agent's hand. Gibbs had only just left the hospital an hour before Tony had woken up.

"Tired. Gibbs, what happened?" Tony asked quietly.

"You were assaulted. Do you remember that?" Gibbs gently informed.

"No... Who assaulted me?"

Gibbs hesitated, but the look on Tony's face clearly said that he had absolute trust in his boss. Gibbs couldn't help feeling sorry for Tony- the younger man had quite obvious trust issues, and he had been betrayed by someone that he had trusted for several years. That was going to ruin his self-confidence, trust, and judgement- in his own mind, anyway.

"Please, Gibbs?"

The note of pleading in Tony's voice was the straw that broke the camel's back- Gibbs felt his will crumbling and he gave in. With a sigh, he said,

"You aren't going to like the answer, but..."

"But what, Gibbs?" Tony blinked tiredly at his boss. "You can tell me."

Gibbs smiled for a second, loving Tony's innocence about the whole situation. He hated to have to ruin the innocence his agent was currently experiencing.

"Tony... You were assaulted by... by... Ziva..."

For a moment, it looked as though Tony was going to start laughing. It looked like Tony wasn't believing a word of it. But then, Tony's face crumpled and his expression went from one of confusion to one of horror, and, finally, to an expression of hurt and sadness.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked finally, his voice wavering as he fought back tears.

"I wish I was wrong. I wish I could tell you something different. I'm sorry."

Tony just shook his aching head, unable to form any words. Ziva had attacked him? Why? He hadn't done anything to her, ever. He had never given her a reason to cause him pain, let alone leave him hospitalised and injured. Hell, he wasn't even sure of what his injuries were yet. He hadn't asked Brad to tell him because he was scared to find out what had happened to him.

"Tony?" asked Gibbs kindly. "Are you okay?"

"Is it my fault?" Tony asked timidly.

"You're fault? Absolutely not!"

"I must have done something wrong. Right?"

Gibbs sighed. Automatically, he reached up to slap the back of Tony's head, then realised that Tony truly believed what he was saying. He couldn't slap sense into someone if they didn't have at least some doubt in their mind. Plus, Tony had a concussion. He didn't want to make the injuries worse. So, instead, Gibbs gently rested his hand on Tony's arm.

"Tony, you haven't done anything wrong. This is not your fault- not at all. I don't want you to be blaming yourself. Ziva is the one to blame here, which is exactly what has happened this past week. We've been taking turns interrogating her in her prison cell to try and understand just what has happened."

"Did she give you an answer?"

"Not yet. I actually spent some time thinking about asking you, once you had woken up, to talk with her- over a video call, of course- and see if she would answer you truthfully. Seeing what she's done to you should get her to feel some kind of remorse, I hope."

"No."

"Okay. It's your choice."

"I can't do it, Gibbs. I can't do it. Sorry."

"Don't apologise, Tony. I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. I gave you a choice, and you made your decision. That's the decision that we'll go with. Besides, if you ever change your mind, Tony, I can arrange things."

"Is she being charged?" Tony asked after a moment.

"Yes. With assaulting a federal agent and attempted murder."

"Attempted murder? Why?"

Gibbs sighed. He had been hoping that he wouldn't have to tell Tony about the rest of what Ziva had done, but he had no choice now. Tony wasn't going to give up on asking until he got the truth. Gibbs just hoped that Tony wouldn't lose his trust in everyone else once he heard this part.

"Ziva's being charged with attempted murder, Tony, because she had been planning to kill you for quite some time. We found a journal when we searched her apartment that described exactly what she wanted to do to you."

Tony was visibly shaken by the information, but he still trusted Gibbs unconditionally. He looked at his boss, searching the blue eyes for any hint of a joke. When he didn't find anything there, other than the truth, Tony dropped his gaze and let his tears fall.

"Why?" he asked so quietly, that Gibbs almost didn't hear him.

"I don't have an answer to that, Tony. We're still trying to find an answer- McGee's gone down there with Vance this morning to see what he can get from her."

"How long has she been planning this?"

"As far as I can tell, since we brought her home from Somalia. I would hazard a guess as to it being longer than that, but since she was in Israel, and we don't have jurisdiction there, we won't know for sure unless she tells us."

Tony nodded. "She blames me for you choosing to leave her behind."

"She made that choice for herself. I would have brought her back with us, and she decided that she didn't want to come back. And, even if she had come back to the States with us, she would have been subjected to an investigation into her actions with Rivkin- that was all her doing. Besides, I would never choose someone else over you, Tony. You're my friend, and I will always regard you as a friend. I've told you before- you are not replaceable."

Tony looked back at his boss with the smallest of smiles. He trusted Gibbs, knew his boss wasn't lying. And that trust would never be broken. But that was only when it came to Gibbs- Tony was unsure if he would ever trust anyone else again, even his friends at work. It would take a lot to get him to trust them properly again, and a long time too.


	2. Chapter 1

**One Week Earlier**

Tony laughed at one of McGee's funnier jokes as they exited the elevator on their floor of the NCIS building. They were early, and neither was expecting to see that the floor was already full of agents, hard at work on their computers. Something was clearly happening that the two of them didn't know about.

"DiNozzo! McGee!" called Vance from outside his office. "Up here!"

Tony and McGee shrugged, unsure of why they were being summoned to the Director's office. Nevertheless, they dropped their backpacks next to their respective desks and made their way up the stairs, finding that Gibbs was already sitting in Vance's office.

"Is Ziva on her way in?" Tony asked when he didn't spot the fourth member of their team.

"No, she is not. I don't expect that she'll be back here in the near future," said Vance as he gestured for the two agents to sit at the conference table.

"Okay... Look, we figured that something must be going on. It's early, everyone is busy. What happened?" McGee asked.

Vance sighed, unsure of how to tell the two men about what had happened overnight. He couldn't find the words he needed.

"Ziva is in big trouble," Gibbs stated. "Last night, we got word from the FBI that Ziva had been harboring an ex-Mossad fugitive in her home for several months. When the FBI went to her apartment, they found the place empty. Both Ziva and the ex-Mossad woman are on the run. Ziva is being considered an accomplice in several crimes."

"Ziva? No way," said Tony. "She loves being here. She loves NCIS. She wouldn't do anything to jeopardise what she has here."

"Sorry, Tony," said Gibbs, "but it looks as though Ziva has done exactly that."

"We need to find her."

"We're looking. Hopefully, we'll find Ziva before the FBI does, or before anyone from Mossad does. Eli David has made things clear-if she gets hurt, he's going to come after us for revenge," said Vance with a small shudder.

"He wouldn't do that, would he?" McGee asked worriedly.

Vance and Gibbs shared a look, but it was Tony who answered the question.

"He would do it, Tim. Eli David doesn't have a care in the world when it comes to hurting people. He blames us for Ziva not returning to Israel after the whole Somalia thing- this is just the icing on the cake," said Tony, remembering just how cruel the man could be.

"Tony's right," said Gibbs. "If anything happens to Ziva, he's going to think that we are responsible for it, no matter how ridiculous it might sound. Watch your backs, both of you."

* * *

After the meeting with Vance, Gibbs led his team back to their desks. They had their marching orders- to find Ziva before the FBI did and to try and prevent Eli David from causing any incidents. It wasn't going to be easy, that was for sure. And, since they knew that Ziva was good at hiding herself when she didn't want to be found, they were already having a hard time.

"McGee, DiNozzo, I'm going to speak with Abby and Ducky and Palmer," said Gibbs. "Call if you get anything- even if it seems insignificant. And be careful."

Tony and McGee both nodded their heads as they continued to work. Gibbs smiled briefly as he realised that his team would do anything to protect Ziva, and headed off to the elevator. He wasn't expecting to only get half way there before Tony yelled out to him and called him back.

"Got something, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah... Ziva..." Tony said as he showed Gibbs the security footage he had just decided to look at.

"Go. Get her up here, but be careful. McGee and I are right behind you." Gibbs grabbed his gun and gave an agent an order to get Vance before following Tony to the secure parking garage reserved for NCIS employees only.

* * *

Tony reached Ziva before anyone else arrived, so he gave her a smile.

"Hi, Zi," said Tony.

"You did this! You are responsible for this!" Ziva exclaimed.

"What are you talking about?"

"Shut up!"

Tony frowned in confusion. In his confusion, Tony missed the look of pure hatred on Ziva's face, and, therefore, missed his one chance to defend himself. By the time Tony saw the punch coming, he was already on the ground. His vision blurred as Ziva landed punch after punch on his already swelling face until he finally lost consciousness.

* * *

Gibbs was shocked when he reached the parking garage. He hadn't expected to see Ziva fighting with Tony, so what he saw broke his heart in two and angered him more than ever before. In seconds, he was flying towards Ziva and Tony, who was clearly unconscious, his Marine training kicking in.

"Ziva! Get the hell off of him!" Gibbs shouted as he raced over. "Ziva! Stop!"

"He did this to me! I will kill him!" Ziva exclaimed as she kicked Tony's right temple. "He needs to die!"

Gibbs didn't think as he grabbed Ziva and lifted her off of Tony. Dropping her onto the ground, away from Tony, Gibbs quickly cuffed her.

"McGee! Get her to Interrogation!" Gibbs said as he pulled out his phone to call 911. He bent next to Tony, noticing that his agent was bleeding from his right ear. After a quick check to find a pulse, Gibbs said, "Tony, wake up. Open your eyes, please!"

When Tony didn't respond, Gibbs felt a tear start rolling down his cheek. He couldn't lose Tony. If he did, he'd never be able to go on. Tony was his son, and he couldn't lose another child.


	3. Chapter 2

Gibbs heard the sirens as the ambulance sped up through the parking garage, but he didn't feel relieved. Tony hadn't woken up yet, he hadn't responded. Gibbs was worried that Tony had a brain injury, because that was the only thing he could think of right then that would explain the blood leaking from Tony's ear.

"Gibbs?" Vance called. "Gibbs, I need you to give the paramedics some room to work. Agent DiNozzo's life depends on that help."

Gibbs looked up at his boss, worry and fear evident on his face. Slowly, he let go of Tony's hand and stood, with help from Vance to keep him steady.

"What if they can't help him?" whispered Gibbs.

"They'll help him, Gibbs. Just give them a chance," Vance answered softly, knowing that the relationship between Gibbs and Tony was more than just a professional one.

"I'm going to kill her. How the hell could she ever do something like this? Tony is supposed to be her friend."

"Don't think about her. I'll deal with Ziva David. You need to focus on your agent. He's going to need you when he wakes up."

Gibbs shook his head. "I don't care what happens to her, Leon. I want her charged with assault."

"I understand, Gibbs. I'll do what I can, but it's up to the FBI in the end."

"Fornell..."

"I was already planning to call him, Gibbs." Vance noticed that the medics were standing impatiently near the ambulance. "Go with them, Gibbs. McGee and I have things covered on this end."

* * *

Gibbs sobbed quietly in the waiting room of Bethesda's ER. He had been grateful to find that Brad was already in the emergency department when the ambulance arrived, and whatever he had been doing had been dropped the moment he spotted Tony being wheeled in. Brad had given Gibbs a promise to keep Tony alive, but since he wasn't a neurologist, there wasn't much he could do. Tony's lungs were coping well, and his skills weren't really required this time. What he did need was surgery, and Gibbs had just blindly agreed to let them do whatever was needed.

"Jethro?" asked Ducky, breaking into Gibbs' pain-filled thoughts.

"How is he, Duck?" Gibbs asked, knowing that Ducky would have already checked in with the neurologist and the orthopedic surgeon that were currently operating on Tony.

"Anthony is doing as well as can be expected right now. The neurologist said to tell you that there is no permanent damage to his brain, but he most likely will have some temporary damage while he's recovering. The blood you spotted leaking from his ear is not major- he may have some temporary hearing loss when he wakes while the damaged part of his ear recovers."

"What other injuries are there, Duck?" Gibbs asked, just barely keeping himself together.

"He has several cracked and bruised ribs. The orthopedist is repairing a break in his left arm."

"There's more, right? You should have seen him, Ducky- he looked like a giant bruise when we were in the ambulance."

"He has two fractures in his left hand- most likely a defensive injury along with his broken arm. His left shoulder was dislocated, but has now been put back into place. It'll probably be painful for a few days."

"Is Tony going to wake up?" asked a very distraught Abby.

Looking up, Gibbs beckoned his favourite scientist over and let her hug him while Ducky spoke.

"Anthony is a very tough young man. He didn't let the plague kill him, so I don't see any reason why he would allow these injuries to be his undoing. He will wake up once he is ready to wake up. You need to keep faith in him, and be there when you aren't at work. Give him the love and support he needs from you. Anthony won't leave the people he loves."

"He won't trust us anymore," said Abby sadly. "Tony doesn't trust people easily to begin with, but now... He trusted Ziva to watch his back, and she stabbed him instead."

"He'll learn to trust us again, Abbs," said Gibbs, though he agreed with her assessment of the situation. "We'll be there to help him."

Abby nodded. Her heart had broken the moment McGee had told her what had happened- Tony was her big brother, and nobody else could ever have a relationship as close as that with her. She had vowed to protect Tony as she drove to the hospital, and to protect what was left of his trust in people.

* * *

Brad watched the surgery with a heavy heart. Tony had been a healthy, happy person before this had happened. Brad had seen Tony for his annual physical just a week earlier, and he had happily proclaimed Tony to be in perfect health, despite his scarred lungs that hardly ever seemed to pose a problem. But now, Tony was literally clinging to life by a thread. His body was too damaged for any real hope of recovery, although everyone agreed that they would love for Tony to prove them wrong and return to his normal lifestyle.

"Come on, Tony," Brad said quietly as he watched the neurologist finish stitching up the large incision she had made on the side of Tony's head. "Prove us wrong, pal. Show us that you are strong enough to get through this."


	4. Chapter 3

Doctor Hansen was surprised by the MRI and CT scan results she had received. Tony's brain looked almost completely unscathed, which made no sense to the seasoned neurologist. She had seen many victims come and go in her time, but none of them had ever escaped without a single permanent brain injury of varying degrees. Tony should have had some permanent damage to his brain with the head injuries he had sustained, but, even those injuries seemed minor compared to her first impressions. It was strange, but she was also glad for it. Maybe Tony would have a chance to heal after all. And, thankfully, her surgery would only take an hour or so to complete- the orthopedic surgeon that would be joining her in the operating theatre would have more work to do just on Tony's left arm and hand. All Doctor Hansen needed to do was remove a tiny piece of Tony's skull that was currently about to break off the rest of the skull. It was almost a routine operation in her field these days.

"Doctor Hansen, the operating room is ready," said a young nurse from outside the trauma bay.

"Thank you. Is Doctor Fielding ready?"

"She's waiting for you in the OR."

Doctor Hansen nodded her thanks as she pushed Tony's bed out into the hallway of the emergency department.

* * *

Doctor Fielding was already gowned and waiting when Tony was brought into the OR. Immediately, she felt her heart breaking for her patient- he looked like he had been through the wringer already, and that was only the beginning of things. The poor guy was going to have a long recovery ahead if he managed to wake up after surgery.

"Doctor Fielding," said Doctor Hansen. "I was wondering what you thought about giving overall care to Tony's specialist, Doctor Pitt?"

"That sounds fine to me. He knows Tony better than we do, and I'm sure it will be easier on Tony to be able to have a doctor he'd feel comfortable around," answered Doctor Fielding as the two of them set to work.

* * *

"Okay, I'm finished here," said Doctor Hansen. "I'm going to clean up and get Doctor Pitt so we can let him know our decision. I'll be back in a few minutes."

"Doctor Pitt is upstairs, observing us. He's been there since we started," said Doctor Fielding without looking up from where she was inserting pins into Tony's arm.

"Alright." Doctor Hansen disappeared, reappearing a moment later in the observation room above the OR. "Doctor Pitt."

"I heard the decision the two of you came to," said Brad. "I'm happy to take over. It'll give Tony's loved ones some peace of mind, I think."

"Have you been to see them?"

"No. I spoke with one of them, and he offered to speak to Tony's emergency contact for me. I would hate to be the person that attacked Tony right about now, that's for sure. I have no doubt that the moment Agent Gibbs catches up with them, they'll be regretting their actions."

"You didn't hear, did you?"

"Hear what?"

"Tony's attacker- it was one of his co-workers."

"You're kidding, right?"

"No. I overheard Agent Gibbs muttering about making some person named Ziva pay."

Brad nodded. "I know her. I can't believe she would hurt Tony. He was the one that saved her when she was being held by terrorists overseas."

"Poor Tony. This is going to be hard for him. I hope he can recover after all of this."

"He will. Tony's the toughest person I've ever met. He recovered from having the plague, he can recover from this." Brad smiled a little. "Trust me on that."

* * *

Vance was furious. He didn't understand why Ziva had done what she had done. He had always assumed that she and Tony were close, even after the whole Rivkin thing. Obviously, he had been wrong about that. And now he had to interrogate her to find out why she had hurt Tony.

Entering the interrogation room, Vance slammed a file on the table. It contained the brief medical report and some photos of Tony's injuries that the doctors had given him before taking Tony to surgery.

"Agent David, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"He has gotten me into trouble," Ziva simply stated.

"I don't know where you got that from, but you are sorely mistaken. Your own actions are what has gotten you into trouble! You attacked a federal agent for no reason. Agent DiNozzo was simply coming to help you!" Vance opened the file and scattered the photos onto the table. "This is just the beginning of what you have done. Agent DiNozzo is currently in surgery, with a very grim prognosis. If he dies, you will be charged with murder."

Ziva shrugged. "It is nothing. I have been through worse."

Vance raised his eyebrows in surprise, but didn't comment. He pulled out the sheet of injuries that the doctors had given him. "You have so far caused Agent DiNozzo to suffer from a severely broken arm, a fractured hand, a dislocated shoulder, and several cracked ribs. He has damage inside his ear, which may result in hearing loss. His brain is bruised and may swell up in the next few days. He's in a coma. One he may never recover from."

"You don't care- you do not like him."

"My feelings are not important. I wouldn't wish this on anybody. Agent DiNozzo is one hell of an agent, and this agency will suffer without him." Vance shook his head. "Agent Gibbs had to forcibly remove you from Agent DiNozzo's unconscious body to stop your assault. Why did you not listen when you were told to get off him?"

"Why are you asking me these questions? I did everyone a favour- we do not have to listen to his movie references anymore. He cannot annoy us now."

"That is not the point. You have committed a crime, Agent David, and you will be held accountable for this." Vance stood up. "You are under arrest for assaulting a federal agent."

* * *

Brad was grateful to the two surgeons for them getting Tony out of the OR as quickly as possible. Tony was still unconscious, but at least Brad could allow Gibbs to see Tony now. He knew it would give Gibbs some relief, even if it was short-lived.

"Gibbs? I have news for you..." Brad said when he entered the waiting room.

 **A/N: The next chapter will focus on Tony. I know that he is in a coma, but I figured we would all enjoy reading about his dream about Kate.**


	5. Chapter 4

**A/N: In this chapter, Tony is dreaming while in his coma. But, first, we'll hear what Brad has to say to Gibbs about Tony's condition.**

 **This chapter will finish off the first day and a half of Tony's coma.**

* * *

Brad gave Gibbs a little smile as he prepared to deliver the hard news he had.

"Tony's still unconscious," he said, aware that Abby was listening too. "He has slipped into a coma, unfortunately, but we are hoping that he'll wake up in time."

"How was his surgery?" Gibbs asked.

"Doctor Hansen is happy to report that she didn't need to do too much work. She drained some excess fluid from around his brain and then closed up his head. She also cleaned out his right ear to make sure that it wasn't bleeding anymore. Doctor Fielding also had a successful surgery- she had to insert three pins into Tony's arm to keep the bone aligned. His hand will heal in a couple of weeks, and the whole area- from the elbow to the fingers- will be in plaster."

"Tony had cracked ribs. Are they okay?"

"Yes. They'll heal in roughly the same time as his hand."

"I want to see him."

Brad nodded. "I figured you would. Follow me."

"Are you taking care of Tony?" Abby asked.

"I will be."

* * *

Tony woke up with a big smile. The woman that had caught his attention was standing in front of him.

"Hi, Tony!" said Kate.

"Kate!" Tony grinned as he pulled his friend into a tight hug. "Aren't you dead?"

"Yes."

"Does that mean I'm dead?"

"You aren't dead, just unconscious."

"Why am I here?"

"Your body needs time to heal, so you've come to visit me for a while. Don't you want to spend time with me?" she pouted.

"I'd love to spend some time with you. I've really missed you."

"I've missed you too. I've been watching over you."

"You have? Why?"

"You don't have a guardian angel, Tony. Why? Surely you've lost a loved one?"

Tony shrugged. "No, not really. Nobody that has cared about me is dead. The only people that care are Gibbs and the team."

"I cared about you. I may have been unable to show it to you, but I cared. I guess that's probably why I was made your guardian angel."

Tony smiled. "Thank you, Kate. Hey, I met your sister. Why didn't you tell us about her?"

"You know I liked my private life to be private."

"I call her Dr Kate's Sister."

"I've noticed. You do know her name is Rachel, though, don't you?"

"Yeah. But I like calling her Dr Kate's Sister. It's my way of keeping you alive."

"That's sweet," said Kate with a smile. "You really miss me, don't you?"

Tony nodded. "So, what's Heaven like?" he asked, changing the subject.

"It's nice. I can see what everyone is doing from up here. Do you like Ziva?" Kate asked, making sure she kept the anger from her voice. She knew what had happened, but it wasn't her place to tell Tony. He had to figure it out on his own once he was awake.

"Yeah... but she's not you. I can't joke with her in the same way. And, of course, there's also the constant fear that she might kill me with a paperclip."

Kate felt her stomach drop, but she kept a cheeky grin on her face. "She keeps you on your toes."

"She definitely does that. Did you see when we went undercover as married assassins?"

"I did. You were very convincing."

Tony laughed. "I aim to please."

Kate shook her head in exasperation, but she was still smiling. "You are still a pig, you know that?"

"You love me, Katie. Admit it."

"First, it's Kate. You know I hate being called Katie. Second, I don't love you... I can't love you- I'm dead."

"You know what I mean."

"Yes, I do. And, yes, when I was alive, I loved you like you were my brother. We were a tight-knit family."

"I miss that closeness."

"I know you do... I also know that you're using Rachel as a substitute for me. It's okay to miss me, Tony, but you can't replace me, no matter how hard you try."

"It wasn't fair. You didn't deserve to die, Kate."

"No, I didn't. You're right about that. But, it was my time, Tony. I've made peace with it, and you should too."

"I can't."

"That's because you didn't grieve like you should have. You tried to be strong for the team, and I think that's admirable and kind of you, but you didn't give yourself a chance to have closure. You needed that closure to move on, Tony."

"It's a bit hard to get over something when you blame yourself..."

"Are you still blaming yourself? It was not your fault, Tony. Ari shot me, not you."

"I should have protected you."

"How? Technically, you shouldn't have even been at work. You hadn't fully recovered from the plague yet, and even Ducky agreed that you should have just gone home. We all worked through the night to keep Gibbs safe, but you didn't sleep as much as McGee and I did. You weren't well enough to even pull an overnighter, but you did anyway. Trust me when I say that if anyone of us were at fault, it would be me for giving you the protection detail in the first place. I don't blame you, Tony. Nobody blames you, except you."

Tony sighed, but something in Kate's voice told him she wasn't lying. It had been a long time since he had been able to believe people weren't lying to him- except Gibbs, of course- and it felt nice. He smiled.

"Thank you, Kate." Tony smiled again. "You know, you once asked me how I got the job at NCIS."

"You said that you smiled."

"I did. But that wasn't what got me the job."

"How did you get it then?"

"When I applied, Gibbs bullied them into hiring me and putting me on his team."

Kate giggled. "I could just imagine that, Tony. And, they would have probably done it in a heartbeat. Gibbs can be scary when he wants to be."

Tony smiled for a moment, then sighed.

"What's wrong, Tony?" Kate asked softly.

"I don't remember what happened to me."

"That's alright. It'll come back to you eventually."

"What if the person that hurt me is someone I know?"

"Then you'll deal with it, just like you deal with everything else that comes your way. Gibbs will be there to help you."

"Gibbs is always there when I need him."

"He loves you, Tony. You're the son he never had- a second chance to have a family. You mean a lot to him."

"Am I going to wake up?"

"Once your body has a chance to heal, yes."

"I'm not going to remember this, am I?"

"You might. I'm not too sure about that."

"I haven't been to visit you in a couple of years... The last time that happened was when I was made an agent afloat."

"It's alright. You've been busy. You can come and visit whenever you want to."

"You're not mad?"

"No. Remember, I can see what you're doing, Tony. I know that you've been very busy. It's okay."

"I promise I will come and visit you soon. I'll bring you flowers and clean your headstone to make it all pretty again."

"That's not necessary..."

"So? I want to do it. I know that your parents aren't really able to get there anymore, and Rachel splits her time between DC and Miami while she works out her practice here. It's only fair."

"Thank you, Tony. It's very sweet." Kate smiled, her expression helping Tony relax more.

 **A/N: We'll get to read more of this dream world later in the story, before Tony returns to the land of the living, I promise!**


	6. Chapter 5

Gibbs woke from a restless sleep and looked over to see if Tony was still breathing. It had been that way for the past thirty-six hours, and each time, Gibbs had been relieved to find that Tony was still breathing, despite being unconscious. With a sigh, Gibbs put his head back onto the side of Tony's bed and closed his eyes again, falling asleep almost immediately.

* * *

Abby shook with quiet sobs as she waited for her machines to process the clothes that Tony had been wearing a couple of days earlier. Brad had given them to her as per Gibbs' orders, but she had found it hard to work- harder than when Kate had died. At least, with Kate's death, Abby had known that her friend wasn't coming back and that the murderer was not someone that Kate had trusted. She couldn't understand how Ziva had been able to assault Tony the way she did and still feel absolutely no remorse about it.

"Abby? Are you in here?" called McGee as he stepped into the lab.

"Timmy." Abby looked up, then reached out to McGee for a hug. "Tony's going to get better, right?"

"Of course. Tony's never let anything get the better of him, why would he start now?" McGee stated, though he didn't exactly trust what he was saying.

"She still thinks she did a good thing."

"I know. That's what I came down here for- Vance agreed to let me go to see her in prison. I wanted to see if you want to come with me? Maybe give her a piece of your mind?"

Abby shook her head. "I have too much work to do," she said. "I want to make sure that she can't get away with anything."

"Alright. I'll try to be back before lunch, so we can go to the hospital together and see Tony."

Abby nodded. She picked up a piece of paper and handed it to McGee. "Give her this, Timmy. Make sure she reads it. I want her to know what she's done, not only to Tony, but to all of us. To Gibbs."

"I will, Abbs. Hang in there, okay? Tony will get better, especially with your love. Why don't you call Sister Rosita and ask her to pray for Tony?"

"I already called. She said that she would put Tony in her prayers every night until he wakes up. And she's going to light a candle at tonight's mass for Tony. I'm going to that mass. Will you come too?"

"Of course I will. What time?"

"Eight."

"Alright. Maybe we can stop at the soup kitchen before that and help out a little? Take our minds off of Tony for a bit?"

"That sounds good to me... Thanks, Timmy." Abby hugged McGee tightly. "You're a good friend. Tony's going to appreciate everything you're doing for him."

"If he trusts me, you mean?"

"He will. We'll help him learn to trust us again."

* * *

McGee took a deep breath before he entered the interview room at DC Women's Prison. He could see Ziva sitting at a table near the back of the room, two guards behind her. McGee knew that Ziva had been put into the maximum security section of the prison- both because of her crime and her skills- and knew that the guards were there for McGee's safety, and everyone else's safety in the room. That didn't bother him, since he was confident that Ziva would try just about anything to get free, and he was even grateful that the guards were there. Ziva had a way of scaring the living daylights out of him with a single look.

"Hi, Ziva," said McGee as he sat down across from her. He slid the paper across to her that Abby had given him. "Read that when you get a chance."

"McGee."

"Ziva, I'm not here as a friend," stated McGee, feeling that it was best to be honest about why he was there. "I'm here to ask you questions."

"I do not have anything to say."

"You almost killed a federal agent, Ziva. Your friend. Tony's laying in a hospital bed, fighting for his life, because of you."

"I did everybody a favour, McGee. Surely you understand that."

"No, I don't. I would never hurt Tony. He's my friend. Sometimes he annoys me, yes. But that is not an excuse. You can't just assault a person because they annoy you."

"He is not just annoying. I thought you would understand!" said Ziva angrily. She stood up and huffed. "You are not a good friend!"

"I'm a better friend than you, Ziva," sighed McGee as he watched the guards lead Ziva out of the interview room.

* * *

Abby sighed when lunch time arrived and her machines hadn't given her any results to work with yet. She had been sitting around, hoping for something to do to distract her, for the past hour. Nothing had happened. She just wanted to go and see her big brother already- she wanted to stay by Tony's side just like Gibbs was doing.

"Abby? I'm back," called McGee. "Ready to go to the hospital?"

"Yes." Abby jumped out of her seat and ran to McGee. She wrapped her arms around him tightly. "I miss my Tony."

"I miss Tony too, Abbs."

"Did Ziva give you any answers?"

"No. I did hear back from the team that searched her apartment though- they'll be bringing you evidence in the next hour or two to process. They said they found a diary in her bedroom..."

"What was in it?" Abby asked, dreading the answer.

"It's mostly in Hebrew, but they thought it was something to do with Tony. They're going to get it translated by someone from the Middle East desk."

"I hope that it implicates her, because she needs to pay for what she's done to my Tony."

* * *

Abby and McGee let out a collective sigh of relief when the church doors opened at five to eight that night. They stepped inside and went straight to where Sister Rosita was standing, near the candle stand.

"Hi, Abby," said Sister Rosita. "Hello, Tim."

"Hi, Sister Rosita," said Abby, her voice flat and lacking it's usual cheer.

"How's Tony doing?" Sister Rosita asked sadly. She loved Tony just as much as Abby did.

"There's been no change," said McGee quietly.

"The sisters and I have been putting Tony in our prayers every night. And we can pray for him during mass today, as well."

"Thank you, Sister Rosita," said Abby. "I want to light a candle for him."

"Of course. Here you go." Sister Rosita handed over the candle that she had already lit for Tony, allowing Abby and McGee to both light candles. "Come and join the sisters," she said once they were finished with the candles.

 **A/N: DC Women's Prison is completely made up. I'm not sure of what prisons exist around DC, since I live in Australia, but I've decided that this is the prison Ziva is going to be in until I decide what to do with her.**


	7. Chapter 6

"Hey, Gibbs," said Brad as he stepped into Tony's hospital room. "Are you doing any better this afternoon?"

Gibbs sighed and shook his head. He hadn't left Tony's side since they had gotten to the hospital, so Brad had taken to checking on Gibbs whenever he checked on Tony, just to be sure that the older man wasn't making himself sick.

"I just need him to wake up," said Gibbs quietly as he reached up to touch Tony's head gently. He carefully avoided the bandage that Doctor Hansen had wrapped around Tony's head to cover the incision she had made. "When he wakes up, I'll feel better."

"I know, Gibbs. But, in the meantime, you still need to look after yourself. If you get sick, then you won't be able to stay with Tony." Brad smiled. "I know he means the world to you, but you won't help him if you don't keep yourself healthy."

"What if he can't wake up?"

"That's not even a thought in our heads. Tony's made a remarkable improvement in the last twelve hours. He will wake up, just as soon as his body has rested enough to support him. Besides, that's something that his doctors should worry about, not you. Trust me, Gibbs. He's coming back to us."

Gibbs just nodded. He brought his hand back from Tony's head and used it to grasp Tony's right hand while Brad checked Tony.

* * *

Abby and McGee walked into the ICU, carrying flowers and cards. Abby made a beeline for Tony's room, disappearing into the room seconds later. McGee, on the other hand, stopped outside the door to look at Tony first. He had been unable to get away from work long enough to go and visit Tony, so now he wanted a moment to see what his friend looked like.

McGee could see that Tony was still clearly unconscious. His friend was still in the bed, his eyes shut. Tony's chest was barely rising and falling in time with the ventilator that had been inserted into his throat before surgery. With a sigh, McGee noticed that Tony was connected up to a heart monitor, and that his pulse was slow. The IV line in his right arm was barely visible around the rest of the machines. Tony's left arm was hidden inside plaster, and when McGee looked closely at it, he could see that the plaster also covered Tony's left hand. Tears sprang to McGee's eyes when he saw the white bandage around his friend's head- he hadn't been aware that Tony had sustained an open wound to his head.

"Tim? You can come in," said Gibbs suddenly, though he sounded like he was straining to be heard.

McGee stepped into Tony's room and put the card he had been holding onto the beside drawers. "Boss? Tony... she gave him a head wound?"

"She gave him head injuries, but no open wounds," said Gibbs quietly. "The neurologist... she had to cut him to drain fluid..."

McGee nodded. "Can I touch him?"

"Yeah. Be gentle, though."

"I will..." McGee stepped up to the bed and slowly picked up Tony's right hand. "Hey, Tony," he said softly. "I'm so sorry you got hurt. I wish I could have stopped her. I wish that you weren't laying here. I wish I was the one that was unconscious right not..." McGee shut up as a hand collided with the back of his head.

"Don't ever say that again, Tim," said Gibbs, though his tone and expression should only stress and worry. "Neither of you should be injured."

"Sorry, boss."

"Don't apologise. Just don't say it again." Gibbs sighed. He put his hand on Tony's head, having noticed that Abby had climbed up to lay next to Tony's injured arm. "Tony, wake up. Please? Please just open your eyes."

* * *

Abby had fallen asleep next to Tony without realising it until she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. Slowly opening her eyes, Abby realised that McGee was the one shaking her shoulder.

"Timmy?" she asked in a whisper.

"Time to go, Abbs. Gibbs is asleep, and we need to get back to work," said McGee in an equally quiet voice.

"Okay." Abby stood up, but before she followed McGee to the door, she placed a gentle kiss on Tony's cheek. "Come back to us, big brother," she said as she stepped out of the room.

A few minutes later, Abby turned to McGee while he was driving out of the hospital car park. "Timmy, we need to do something for Tony," she said.

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Something to show him that we all love him and want to help him. Obviously it'll have to be when he wakes up, but we really should do something. Maybe we can have a little party in his hospital room? Bring some pizza?"

McGee smiled. "I think Tony would like that, Abby. Maybe we can get Gibbs on board to help us plan it?"

Abby shook her head. "I think we should plan it with Ducky and Jimmy, cause Gibbs isn't going to leave Tony's side." Abby sighed. "I miss Tony so much."

"So do I, Abby. But, we need to focus on getting things right so that nothing stops Ziva from being prosecuted."

Abby nodded. "Has Agent Johnson's team delivered the evidence yet?"

"Half an hour ago. Agent Johnson said that he'll get the diary translated and then give it to us."

"I'll have to thank him when I see him. Thomas is a great friend."

"Thomas?"

"Agent Thomas Johnson."

McGee nodded. "He is. And he likes Tony a lot, too, so he's just as invested as we are."

"Do you know if Vance has spoken to Ziva's father yet?"

"I think he did, but I'm not sure. I'll go and speak to him after the evidence is processed so I can give him the results at the same time."


	8. Chapter 7

**A/N: Back to Tony's dream world for this chapter. Kate informs Tony that he's been in his coma for two days now.**

* * *

Tony laughed at Kate as they walked to a little cafe together. He was fast becoming accustomed to the strange world he had found himself in, and was enjoying being around Kate again. He no longer cared that Kate wasn't real- he was just happy that he could spend time with her again.

"You know, I didn't realise how much I missed your sarcasm, Tony," said Kate once they had sat down at a table together.

"Are you being sarcastic?" Tony asked, his eyebrows raised.

"Not this time. I actually mean that. You know, when you were dying from the plague, I thought that I was going to never hear movie references or flirting again. I was scared, Tony. And then, after you started recovering, it felt like music to my ears every time you croaked out a movie quote or reference. Every time you flirted with Emma, I thought that it was perfect. I could see a little bit of you coming back to us."

Tony nodded. "I never got to thank you for staying with me in the hospital. It was terrifying in there, and you staying made things a little easier to deal with. So, thank you for being a good friend, Kate."

Kate smiled. "Anytime."

"Hey? Kate?" Tony asked after a moment of silence. "How long have I been unconscious now?"

"Roughly two days."

"Can I see what's happening in the real world?"

"If you want to. I suggest checking on Abby or McGee first. The other two are just going to hurt you if you look."

"I know Abby's probably crying. I really just want to know what Gibbs is doing."

Kate nodded hesitantly. "If you want to see him, okay. But, I'll warn you that it's going to hurt you."

"It's alright. I need to see if Gibbs is okay."

Kate sighed quietly, but she took Tony's hand and led him away from the cafe anyway. After all, this was Tony's comatose dream, and he had every right to do what he wanted to do.

* * *

It was a shock to Tony's system when Kate showed him his boss. Gibbs was hunched over the side of Tony's hospital bed, his shoulders shaking like he was crying. His right hand was clutching Tony's right hand. It looked like Gibbs had lost weight in the two days that Tony had been in the hospital.

"Kate?" Tony asked.

"Yes?"

"Gibbs is going to be okay, won't he?"

"I'm sure he will. He's missing you."

"Is he crying?"

"Yes."

"Gibbs never cries, Kate."

"He does actually. When he's at home, alone. Besides, Gibbs loves you, remember? You're probably the only living person that can make Gibbs cry."

"That's not good, Kate."

"No, but it also means that he loves being around you."

Tony smiled a little. "I miss him, Kate. When can I go back to him?"

"I don't know. Only you will be able to tell when it's time to go back."

"How?"

Kate shook her head. "Not sure. But, trust me, you will know."

Tony sighed as he turned to watch his boss again. As he watched, he saw Gibbs lift his left hand and place it onto Tony's head, then whisper something that Tony couldn't hear.

"Are you ready to go, Tony?" Kate asked, breaking into his thoughts.

"Uh... yeah, okay..." Tony said as he watched Gibbs gently stroke Tony's hair. "He's so gentle, and..."

"And, what?"

"I don't know. He's like a dad, I guess..."

"Didn't your dad ever do that to you as a child when you were sick?" Kate asked, confused as to why Tony seemed so surprised.

"My dad didn't care about me, Kate. The only interactions we had when I was little where when he verbally abused me."

Kate's mouth dropped open. "What?!"

"It's alright. I have Gibbs now. He keeps me safe."

"He shouldn't have to keep you safe, Tony. Your father should be the one doing that."

"Except, he doesn't. Gibbs does. Gibbs has always been there for me," said Tony as he followed Kate to a nearby bench. "Ever since I joined NCIS, Gibbs has been my best friend and confidante. It's hard to see that ever changing."

"How come you never told me this when I was alive?"

"It's not something I tell anybody. Gibbs knows about my childhood, and maybe Vance might know, but that's it. And I'm fine with it being that way. It's nobody's business, it doesn't relate to work. It doesn't need to be told."

"Then why did you tell Gibbs?"

"Since when has it ever been a good idea to hide something from Gibbs?"

"Good point."

"I told Gibbs because he asked me why I was dodging my father's calls about six months after I joined NCIS. He vowed to always protect me from Senior, and he always has."

"I'm sorry, Tony. I shouldn't have asked."

"You're curious. I would be if I were you." Tony smiled. "I trust you, Kate. And, maybe, if we had had more time together, I might have eventually trusted you enough to tell you about it. I wish that we had gotten that time."

"So do I." Kate shrugged. "Being dead isn't so bad though. I mean, I got to choose who I wanted to be the guardian angel of. And, you can pretty much have anything you ever wanted. Did you know I own a puppy now? He's so cute. I named him Tony."

Tony laughed. "Thanks, Kate."

"It was only fair. You did name an imaginary dog after me."

"I did. That was funny. You should have seen your face when you confronted me about it. I thought you were going to explode right there on the bullpen floor." Tony grinned. "You almost killed me that night, if I remember correctly."

Kate laughed at the fond memory. "We had a lot of fun together, you know."

"We certainly did," agreed Tony. "I wish that I could have that back."

"You do have that. With Abby, and Tim. Even with Gibbs." Kate smiled. "You just have to look for it when it comes to Gibbs."


	9. Chapter 8

**A/N: We're in reality again for the next couple of chapters, but we will certainly be visiting Tony and Kate's dream world at least one more time before Tony wakes up.**

* * *

Tony's condition had not changed since the end of his first day in his coma, but he also wasn't getting any worse. As much as everyone wanted the bubbly, silly friend back, they were relieved that Tony wasn't getting any worse. Brad had told them that Tony's arm was healing well with the pins in it, and that his hand would most likely be mended by the end of the next week. His brain was slowly healing itself, and no further fluid had built up since his surgery. Tony's ear was even starting to heal. Doctor Hansen was more hopeful now that he wouldn't have any hearing loss when he woke up.

"Hey, Gibbs," said Vance. He put his hand on his team leader's shoulder. "How's Tony doing?"

"Tony? You never call him Tony," said Gibbs sadly. "Why don't you ever call him Tony?"

"He's my agent, Gibbs. I don't call agents by their first names."

"Why are you using his first name now?"

"Because, right now, Tony is not my agent. He's a patient in this hospital, and he's unwell. He needs a friend, not a boss at the moment."

"What happened to Ziva?" Gibbs asked, looking up at Vance now.

"She's in DC Women's Prison. She's been there since the night she assaulted Tony."

"Has she given a confession?"

"No. In the three days that she's been there, she's not spoken to anyone except McGee, and even then, she stuck to her tale of this being Tony's fault."

"Is McGee alright?"

"He's fine. Angry at her, but fine. He's doing his best to not crumble right now so he can look after Ms Sciuto."

"How is Abby? I know I haven't exactly been there for her."

"Remarkably, she's okay. There are still moments where she lets herself cry, but she's been busy with the evidence that Agent Johnson's team brought her from Ziva's apartment. McGee's busy with the translated diary from the apartment too."

"What was in the diary?" Gibbs asked, knowing it had something to do with his beloved Tony.

"I don't know. McGee got it this morning, so I'll be checking in with him when I get to the office." Vance frowned. "Gibbs, have you been eating properly?"

"Eating? Why bother?" Gibbs said glumly. "Tony's not able to eat, so why should I?"

"You can't make yourself sick if you want to be here for Tony. You need to eat something. Why don't I get you some breakfast?"

"Not interested."

"Well, I didn't exactly want to take no for an answer, so I stopped at that diner you love so much and got you some waffles. Apparently, you're famous there, and they know your order. I didn't have to ask once I said I was getting breakfast for you."

Gibbs gave a weak smile that didn't reach his eyes. "Thanks, Leon," he said quietly as he looked back at Tony.

"McGee and Ms Sciuto are planning a party for Tony."

"They are?"

"Yes. They want to do it when he wakes up and they've decided to bring pizza. Apparently, they're worried that Tony won't trust them."

Gibbs sighed. "When he finds out who hurt him, he won't trust anybody."

"Except you, you mean?"

"Maybe. I hope I've developed a good enough friendship with him to be able to keep his trust."

"You have. I know you have. If you didn't, you wouldn't have forced me to bring him back to your team from the Seahawk. You wouldn't have been saved from drowning. You wouldn't be sitting here right now, crying, because you're terrified of losing him. Trust me, you have the best friendship possible."

Gibbs smiled. "Thanks, Leon."

"Eat. I don't want to come back here after work to find you in a hospital bed."

Gibbs laughed a little. He opened the box that Vance had put on the table and smiled, enjoying the smell of the freshly made waffles he loved.

* * *

"McGee, did you find anything in that diary?" Vance asked forty minutes later.

"You're not going to like this." McGee handed the translated pages over. "That's just some of the entries. All of them are along those lines, and they date back to the weeks after we brought her back from Somalia."

"She's had murderous tendencies this whole time? And she's been working with Tony during this time?"

"Unfortunately, it looks that way, yes."

"When do you think Ms Sciuto will be done with the evidence?"

"She said this morning that she should be finished by tomorrow afternoon."

"Call the prison and schedule an interrogation for Saturday morning. You and I will go, because I doubt that Gibbs will be able to leave Tony for more than ten minutes at a time."

"Of course, sir." McGee picked up his desk phone and dialled the number for DC Women's Prison.

* * *

"What's gotten you to eat, Gibbs?" Brad asked as he stepped into Tony's room to check his patient.

"Vance brought waffles to me. My favourite waffles." Gibbs sighed. "I wish Tony was awake to share these waffles with me."

"Well, when he wakes up, Gibbs, we'll get him some."

"When is he going to wake up?"

"Soon, I hope."

"Is there any change?"

"Not yet. His body is still healing slowly."

"But he hasn't gotten any worse?"

"No. Doctor Hansen will be in later today to check his brain and make sure that there's no fluid building up. Unfortunately, that requires a forty minute MRI, and you can't go with him for that. You'll need to wait either here or in the waiting room."

"I'll be in here. I want to be here when he comes back."

"I figured. Try and sleep while he's having his MRI."


	10. Chapter 9

Abby hummed to herself as she worked. Her mind was full of thoughts of Tony, but they weren't painful thoughts. She was thinking of all the good times she and Tony had had together. She remembered when Tony had first come to her attention. He and Gibbs had been working on a case together, with Tony still a detective in Baltimore, and Gibbs had introduced them. Tony had been shocked when he first saw Abby, and a little afraid too, but when Abby had smiled at him, Tony had relaxed immediately. A week later, she and Tony were hanging out and having fun together like they were best friends. Within a month, they were best friends, and Abby had one over Tony's trust.

"Oh, Tony. When you get better, we're going to hang out together like we did when we first met," Abby said to herself.

"Abbs? Who are you talking to?" McGee asked.

Abby turned with a smile. "I'm talking to my memory of Tony."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I was thinking, I'm going to make sure that Tony and I spend more time together. When he first came to NCIS, we always hung out together. We don't do that anymore. I'll fix it."

"That sounds sweet. Tony will love that, I'm sure if it."

"Thanks, Timmy! So, what did you come here for?"

"Have you got anything? Vance wants me to go with him on Saturday morning to interrogate Ziva. Is there anything that I can use?"

"Not yet. I have everything running but there's no results yet. Has Gibbs called?"

"No, but Vance went to the hospital before work this morning. He said Gibbs is barely hanging on, and Tony looks like he hadn't changed. He did get Gibbs to eat, though."

Abby nodded. "Good. He hasn't eaten anything in three days. We really need Tony to wake up."

* * *

Gibbs put his coffee cup in the bin and sighed. Doctor Hansen had taken Tony nearly an hour earlier to do an MRI and she hadn't yet brought Tony back to his room. Gibbs couldn't understand what was taking so long. Was there a problem? Had something happened to Tony? Where was he?

"Agent Gibbs?"

Gibbs looked up at the door. "Doctor Fielding? Do you know where Tony is?"

"He'll be back in a moment. Doctor Hansen is just finishing up his MRI. She asked me to tell you that she's sorry it's taking so long, but the doctor using the MRI machine before her took longer than expected and she wasn't informed. She waited an extra twenty minutes to use the machine."

"Is Tony okay?" Gibbs asked, sounding desperate.

"He's fine. Look, I know that you have a personal relationship with Tony. I understand that he means the world to you, and I'm sure that this must be hard for you to cope with. I wanted to try and alleviate some of the pain and fear you're feeling. Tony is going to get through this, no matter how long it takes."

"Three and a half days ago, you and Doctor Hansen said that you had no hope for Tony to recover. How can you be sure that things have changed?"

"Tony's recent tests show that his body is healing. If this MRI shows that his brain is also healing, then we can take him off the ventilator. Once he's off the ventilator, it'll only be a matter of time before he wakes."

Gibbs' eyes lit up for the first time since Tony had been hurt. "How long will it take to get him to wake up?"

"Usually, we say between twelve and twenty-four hours. His body will need time to adjust from being kept alive by a machine to sustaining itself again. He'll need oxygen to begin with, but after he wakes, Doctor Pitt will be able to assess his lungs and decide if Tony will continue to need oxygen."

"But, Tony will be awake? Right?"

"Yes, Tony will be awake." Doctor Fielding smiled. "He's getting better, Agent Gibbs. Don't lose hope."

Gibbs nodded. "Thank you. I know I've been a little unfair and rude, and I'm sorry. I don't mean it."

"I know you don't. Honestly, it's not even an issue. We endure a lot worse from our patients' family members and friends. You learn to ignore it." Doctor Fielding smiled again as she turned and saw Tony being wheeled in. "I believe that your agent is back now."

Gibbs was up in a flash. He moved to Tony's bedside and picked up his friend's hand. "Hey, Tony. I'm still here, okay? I'm not leaving you," he whispered.

"Agent Gibbs. I have some good news," said Doctor Hansen.

"The only good news I want is that Tony is waking up," said Gibbs, though he still looked up at the neurologist.

"He's not waking up just yet, but we are able to remove the ventilator. Tony's MRI result showed a very good improvement in his healing. There's no fluid build up around his brain, so we won't need to operate again. His ear is still healing, but I can guarantee that the possibility of hearing loss is no longer a possibility. Tony's hearing won't be affected. The incision I made during surgery is healing quite well, so I've removed the bandage and the gauze. I'll be taking out the stitches probably on Monday. Doctor Pitt will be in later this afternoon to take out the ventilator and to check Tony's lungs."

Gibbs couldn't believe it. Was Tony going to be awake soon? Would he really be able to talk to his best friend again?

"Agent Gibbs? Are you okay?" Doctor Fielding asked.

"Tony... He'll be awake soon?" Gibbs asked in disbelief.

"In roughly twenty-four hours, yes, Tony should be awake again."


	11. Chapter 10

**A/N: Back to Tony's dream for the final time. The next time we see Tony, he'll be awake with Gibbs again.**

* * *

"Tony, are you seeing this?" Kate asked with a laugh. "You have got to see this."

"Sorry, Kate. I was just reading something. What's so funny?" asked Tony.

"That woman. Look." Kate pointed at a random person coming out of the train station. She was pulling a suitcase behind her, and everything was flying out of it.

"I wonder if she knows what's happening," Tony mused as he also giggled. "Poor thing. Maybe we should help her?"

"You can't. She's in the real world, we're not, remember?"

"Right. I keep forgetting that I'm actually laying in a hospital bed."

"Yes. But, you're dreaming. Everything happening here is part of your dream."

"I wish it was real. Some of it, I mean."

"Like what?" Kate asked. She turned to face Tony.

"Like you. I wish you were alive so that we could have a real conversation."

"We always talk when you visit me."

"That's not what I mean. I want to have a conversation where you can actually answer me, Kate. I want to be able to call you up at any time of the day and ask you to join me for coffee or lunch so we can catch up. It's not fair."

"Life isn't fair, Tony. Look at you. Look at what you've gone through. Look at where you are now. Things don't always work out the way we want them to, and that's okay. We adjust ourselves and move on. We have chats, Tony, even if they are one-sided." Kate smiled. "I don't like seeing you upset, Tony. All joking aside, I really don't like it when you get upset."

Tony smiled back. "Thanks, Kate. I'm glad that it's you in my dream." Tony frowned. "Wait, why are you in my dream?"

"You wanted me in your dream. I couldn't have come if you didn't want me here."

"I have been wishing to see you again lately."

"Well, here I am." Kate looked off to her side, then back at Tony. "You've been unconscious for about four days now, you know?"

"Really?"

"Yeah. But, your body is starting to heal. You won't be here much longer."

"I'll be back with Gibbs?"

"Soon enough, yes."

Tony smiled. "I'll miss you when I go, but I miss Gibbs so much, Kate... Do you think he still misses me?"

"I guarantee that he still misses you. He hasn't left your hospital room for more than ten minutes at a time."

Tony nodded. "Should I talk to Rachel?"

"When you're stronger, you'll need to talk with someone. You're going to learn some things when you wake up that are going to hurt you. I wish I could prevent it, but there's nothing I can do unless it becomes life threatening."

"You really are my guardian angel, aren't you?"

Kate laughed. "I sure am. I must say, you are quite accident prone. Would you please be a little more careful in the future?"

"I'll try."

Sighing, Kate shook her head. "Come on, let's go check on Abby. She's busy, but you might still be able to see how she's feeling."

* * *

Tony sighed as he watched Abby move around her lab, checking her various machines and collecting printouts. He could tell that she had a lot of evidence- she had prioritised the remaining evidence, and the tested evidence was in a container, ready to be removed from her lab.

"She looks tired," said Tony.

"Abby doesn't sleep when her friends are hurt or in danger, you know that."

"She hasn't slept in four days?"

"I doubt it. But, then again, neither has Gibbs. We all know that Abby channels Gibbs well."

Tony smiled wryly. "Does she know I'm healing?"

"She will soon. Gibbs just found out himself and hasn't called anyone yet."

Tony nodded. "Can I let her know I'm still fighting?"

"No. You can't interact with the real world. Besides, Abby knows you're fighting. That's why she hasn't completely fallen apart."

"Can we go somewhere else now? I don't want to see Abby cry."

Kate nodded. "Sure. Follow me, I want to show you something while I have the chance."

"Show me what?"

"Remember your mother? Laura?"

"Of course I do."

"She's missed you a lot. I promised I would bring you to her before you wake up."

"She didn't care that much when she was alive," said Tony sadly.

"Maybe not, but she does miss you. Things are much clearer up here, Tony. You learn that your mistakes need to be rectified if you ever get the chance. Laura wants to fix the broken relationship between the two of you, or at least some of it."

"You aren't joking with me, are you?"

"No."

Tony smiled. "Okay. I have missed her a lot."

 **A/N: Sorry for the short chapter, but I don't want to continue with Tony after this point, until he wakes up in hospital. Don't worry, though. Tony will be back in a couple of chapters time!**


	12. Chapter 11

**A/N: I know some people have wanted to see Tony and his mother interacting, and we will, but not in his dream world. Soon enough, Tony will talk about his dream and let people in on his family.**

* * *

Gibbs felt relieved when Brad came into the room on Thursday evening. He had already taken Tony off the ventilator, but Gibbs had been asleep at the time, and he hadn't been able to find out what was going on with his beloved Tony.

"Feeling any better, Gibbs?" Brad asked as he sat on the bed.

"I'll feel better once Tony is awake. How is he?"

"Tony's doing well, much better than we could have imagined. And, he will be back with you within the next twenty-four hours. He will get through this, Gibbs, no matter how long it takes."

"Can he hear me?"

"I don't know. I can't see why not, though- he always listens to you. Didn't you once order him not to die?"

Gibbs gave a brief smile. "Yeah, I did. And he listened."

"Why don't you tell him that again?"

"That sounds like a good idea. Thank you, Brad."

With a nod, Brad left the room, allowing Gibbs to have some privacy with Tony.

"Tony, buddy, if you can hear me, I want you to keep fighting. Alright? I know you've been fighting for the last few days, but you have to keep going. Brad took you off the ventilator a couple of hours ago, so you'll be able to come back to me soon. Just stay with me, okay?" Gibbs whispered. "I love you, son. I love you, so very much. I need you to stay with me. Please, just stay with me."

* * *

Tony heard something beeping near his head, but he didn't care. Right then, he was dreaming, and it was a good one. Gibbs was smiling and congratulating him on a job well done. It was fun for him, watching Gibbs stumble over his words. Tony couldn't help his smile...

"Tony, buddy, if you can hear me, I want you to keep fighting. Alright? I know you've been fighting for the last few days, but you have to keep going. Brad took you off the ventilator a couple of hours ago, so you'll be able to come back to me soon. Just stay with me, okay? I love you, son. I love you, so very much. I need you to stay with me. Please, just stay with me."

Was that Gibbs? But Gibbs was happy, right? Or was the sad sounding Gibbs real? Okay, that was possible. Tony thought he had heard Gibbs say something about a ventilator. That would suggest that Tony was in a hospital, probably injured or sick. He didn't remember getting hurt, and he was sure that he wasn't unwell, but that really didn't mean anything.

 _Well, I guess I'm going to have to just open my eyes and see what's happening,_ Tony thought to himself.

The first few attempts at opening his eyes didn't work. They only served to make Tony feel exhausted. The darkness surrounding him was inviting and Tony had no intention of leaving it just yet, even if it was for his boss. He was going to just go back to sleep and try to get his dream back. He wanted to see what was going to happen when Gibbs finally realised that he was sharing his feelings.

* * *

"Hi, Gibbs," said Abby quietly as she stepped into Tony's room. "I brought you something to eat. Brad said you haven't eaten anything since this morning."

"Thank you, Abbs," replied Gibbs without looking away from Tony.

"Brad also told me that he took Tony off the ventilator this afternoon. That's a good thing, Gibbs. Why aren't you happy?"

"He's still unconscious..."

"But he won't be for much longer. By this time tomorrow, Tony will be awake."

"Twenty-four hours is a long time, Abby."

Abby sighed. Gibbs sounded so lost, so upset. She hadn't heard that in his voice for quite some time, and she really hoped to never hear it again. "Why don't you take a break? I'll stay with Tony for a while. Go home and sleep."

"I'll sleep when Tony's better."

"You can't do that to yourself. I know you miss him, but Tony wouldn't want you to make yourself sick over him. You know what he's like- he wouldn't even want you to be sitting here all this time. He would want you to go out and do your job. He would want you to catch criminals and right wrongs until he can return to work."

Gibbs finally looked up, and Abby could see fresh tear tracks on his cheeks. "I can't, Abby. He's been abandoned by too many people in his life already. I can't be one of those people. I've done it once before, and I really hurt him. I can't do that again."

"You aren't doing it again. You need to get some air. Tony will need you when he wakes up, and you can't help him if you don't help yourself first." Abby hugged him. "I promise that I won't leave him until you come back. He's not going to be alone."

Gibbs sighed as he stood up. "Call me if there's any change."

"Of course, boss-man!" Abby, however, had no intention of doing any such thing. She wanted Gibbs to rest before Tony woke up.

* * *

Gibbs felt so lost as he stepped into the cafeteria. Bethesda Hospital had never seemed so big until he had left Tony's side. All he wanted to do now was go back to Tony's room and check on his beloved son, but Abby was right- he needed a break. He hadn't left the room for anything other than bathroom breaks since Tony had been brought out of surgery nearly five days earlier.

"Hi, Gibbs," said Brad, pulling the agent from his thoughts.

"Oh, hi... Sorry, I didn't see you," said Gibbs.

"That's alright. I see Abby got you to leave Tony for a while."

"Yeah. She's with him."

"I figured. You know, it's okay to not be next to him every second of the day. He won't be upset with you for having a break."

"Doesn't matter. I need to look out for him."

"Not in the hospital, you don't. That job belongs to his nurses and I." Brad smiled. "It is nice that you care so much, but you need to look after yourself as well. How come you haven't confronted Agent David?"

"If I see her..."

"You'll kill her? It's okay to be angry, but you need answers. Tony is going to need answers when he wakes up and wants to know why he's in a hospital bed."

"McGee and Vance... they're going to talk to her on Saturday morning. It's just over twenty-four hours from now. They'll get answers."

"And if they don't?"

"They will."

Brad nodded. "I understand, Gibbs. Tony's my friend too. But, you need to trust that we won't let anything happen to him while he's in our care. This is the best place for him right now."

Gibbs smiled. "I know that. You saved him from the plague."

"I did. Now, let me do my job. And you can get something to eat while I do that job."


	13. Chapter 12

**A/N: We've skipped roughly a day since the last chapter. It's now Saturday morning, and we are going to see if McGee and Vance can get some answers from Ziva.**

* * *

DC Women's Prison was one of the more interesting prisons to visit. Despite it being a facility with multiple security levels inside, the inmates were active and somewhat friendly. Usually, the only tough inmates were the ones in maximum security with very long or life sentences. Unfortunately, that was where McGee and Vance were headed. Ziva's lawyer, provided by Eli David, was waiting for them in an interview room with Ziva.

"McGee, I spoke to Gibbs this morning," said Vance as they walked through the prison. "Tony showed some signs late last night of waking up. His doctor is hoping that he'll be awake before lunch."

"That's good. I know that Gibbs was planning on going in to work and getting some paperwork done, but I don't think he's happy about leaving Tony," McGee said. He sighed. "I really hope Tony doesn't remember anything that happened. He'll be so hurt by her actions."

"That's why we're going to try and get some answers this morning."

McGee nodded. "She wouldn't tell me anything last time I spoke to her."

"Today's a new day. Maybe some time in jail will have changed her mind."

"My mind has not been changed," said Ziva, surprising them. They hadn't realised they were outside the interview room. "I still believe that Tony deserved it."

"Why?" asked Vance. "He didn't do anything to you, Ms David."

"I do not care to speak with you. I have told my lawyer that I do not wish to have anymore meetings with anyone from NCIS."

"You don't have much of a choice," said McGee. "You are in prison for attacking a federal agent. You're lucky that the FBI isn't interested in taking on the daughter of Mossad's director."

"I have nothing to say. You are wasting your time." Ziva crossed her arms over her chest and stared at them.

Vance sighed. He didn't want to give up, but he knew he was getting nowhere. He needed to get back to work and try to find a way to convince Ziva to talk. "Come on, McGee. She's not going to give us anything."

McGee stood reluctantly. "Ziva, please just tell us why you hurt Tony. He didn't do anything at all to you."

"You can leave. I will not answer you."

With a sigh, McGee followed Vance out of the interview room.

"I will talk to only Tony," Ziva said as they left, knowing that there was no way they would let Tony near her.

* * *

Tony felt something touching his wrist. It wasn't an uncomfortable touch, but it was strange. Why would someone be touching him? What was going on?

"Why are you touching me?" Tony managed to croak out.

Suddenly, the touch was gone. Tony heard feet moving quickly for a moment, then heard a woman calling something to another person. He heard the feet return to him, then the thing that had touched him was back, this time touching his head. He could feel a hand holding onto his hand, which was somewhat comforting.

"Tony? Can you hear me?"

Tony wanted to say yes, but he was still feeling very tired.

"Tony, if you can hear me, squeeze my hand."

That was easier to do than speaking was. Tony slowly closed his fingers around the hand holding his.

"Good job, Tony. Can you try to open your eyes for me now?"

Tony tried a few times, but he couldn't get his eyes to open.

"That's okay, Tony. You're doing great. Can you try again?"

This time, Tony got his eyes to open partially. He peeked out through his half open eyelids and saw a young woman that he thought he recognised next to him.

"Great! It's nice to have you back with us, Tony," she said.

Tony turned his head and forced his eyes to open the rest of the way. He gave the woman a small smile.

"I knew you would come back to us!" the woman exclaimed loudly, hurting Tony's head and ears.

"Too loud..." said Tony softly.

"Sorry. Let me get you some water." The woman grabbed a bottle from a bag on the floor and quickly put a straw into it. "It's mine from home, but I haven't used it yet."

Tony nodded as he sipped some of the water. "Thank you, Abby," he said once he was finished.

* * *

Gibbs was seated at his desk when his cell phone rang. Thinking of ignoring it at first, Gibbs sighed. But then he had a thought- what if it was about Tony? He couldn't ignore that. Grabbing his phone, Gibbs forgot to check the caller ID before answering.

"Gibbs."

"It's Abby! Tony woke up. Gibbs, Tony is awake! You need to come to the hospital now!"

Gibbs was out of his seat the moment Abby said his best friend was awake. He grabbed his jacket and ran to the elevator. "Abby, don't let him sleep until I get there."

"Already taken care of. Brad took him to get some tests done ten minutes ago, so I'm in the waiting room. Come and join me, Gibbs."

"I'm coming, Abbs." Gibbs hung up without saying goodbye as he climbed into his car. He breathed a sigh of relief as he pulled out of the Navy Yard and into the midday traffic.


	14. Chapter 13

"Hi, boss," said McGee as he and Vance arrived at the NCIS building.

"Tim, I'm on the way to Bethesda. Tony's just woken up, so I'll probably be gone most of the day. Let Vance know, then get over to the hospital. I want answers about Ziva to give to Tony if he asks."

"On it, boss." McGee put his phone away. "Director, Gibbs said to tell you that Tony has finally woken up and that he's going to stay with Tony today. He wants me to go down there and give him the answers Ziva gave us."

"I'll come with you." Vance turned around. "Come on. I'll fill Gibbs in. You don't need to be yelled at."

McGee just nodded, not sure if he should say anything.

* * *

Gibbs was getting antsy. It seemed like the drive to Bethesda was taking double the amount of time it usually took. He knew it wasn't true- he just wanted to be with Tony. No. He needed to be with Tony. It was taking all of his willpower to not break the speed limit right then.

"I'm coming, buddy," Gibbs said as he drove. "I'll be there soon."

With a sigh, Gibbs pulled off the highway towards Bethesda, praying that he wouldn't find Tony in a worse condition than what he had left him in.

* * *

Abby was still in the waiting room when Gibbs arrived. Brad had informed her that Tony would be back in his room shortly, but she had opted to stay away and let Tony decide if he wanted any visitors. She also wanted to tell Gibbs what was going on before he saw Tony- she wanted him to understand that Tony was awake, but not completely aware of his surroundings just yet.

"Abbs? Where's Tony?" Gibbs asked. His eyes darted around the room, as if expecting to find his agent walking up to them with his goofy grin firmly stuck in place.

"Finishing off his tests. Brad said Tony should be back in his room within the next thirty or forty minutes," said Abby.

"How was he when you spoke to him?"

"Okay. He's a little out of it still, most likely because of the head injury and the concussion. But, Tony's going to be fine with some rest. He's just going to be exhausted and sleepy for the next couple of days."

"I need to see him..."

"You will. You just have to be patient. Are McGee and Vance back from interrogating Ziva?" Abby asked to change the subject.

"They should be here soon. I spoke to Tim... I don't know if they got anything."

"I'm sure that Tony isn't going to ask you about her- at least not today."

"Doesn't matter. I want answers."

"After you see Tony, why don't you go and speak to her yourself?"

"No. I'm not leaving Tony. I knew I shouldn't have left this morning."

"You needed the break, Gibbs. I'm sure that Tony's going to tell you the same thing once he knows how long you've been here," said Brad. "Tony's just finishing up with his MRI. He'll be in his room in twenty minutes."

"Is he still awake?"

"Yes. Miraculously, he's managed to stay awake- mainly because the nurse with him is Emma. Something about her just gets him feeling happier. She's filling him on some new movie that came out while he was unconscious."

Gibbs sighed in relief. "Can I see him?"

"As soon as he's settled in his room again, you can go in. He's asked for you already."

* * *

Tony smiled at Doctor Hansen as she helped him get back into bed.

"You're pretty," he said tiredly.

"Thank you," said Doctor Hansen. "How about we get you back to your room, Tony? I think someone has been wanting to see you for a while now."

"Who?"

"Agent Gibbs."

"Gibbs is here?"

"He was. Abby called him after we took you for your tests. He should be here by now."

"Is Gibbs okay? He sounded sad."

"What do you mean?"

"Before. I couldn't make my eyes open, but I heard Gibbs. He sounded really sad."

Doctor Hansen smiled. "He's been very sad since you were brought in. He's missed you quite a lot."

"I want Gibbs."

"Gibbs wants you, too," said Emma as she appeared to help the doctor take Tony back to his room. "Brad is just filling him in on your condition."

"Can you stay for a bit, Emma?" Tony asked.

"Sure. I'll stay until Gibbs comes back, alright?"

Tony grinned. "Thanks, Emma."

* * *

Once they were back in Tony's room, Doctor Hansen whispered to Emma, "is he always like that?"

"Like what?" asked Emma.

"Flirtatious?"

Emma laughed as quietly as she could, so as not to scare Tony, who was flicking through TV channels. "Yeah, that's him. It's a defence, really. It's harmless."

"You're sure?"

"Yes. I've known him for almost five years now, and it really is just his way of defending himself."

Doctor Hansen breathed a sigh of relief. "That's good."

"Relax," said Emma as she laughed again. "He's not going to try anything. He's in love with someone else at the moment- well, he won't be for too much longer once he finds out that they were the one to hurt him."

"That's going to be hard on him."

"Yes. But, that's why all of us are here. We'll help him through it."

"Emma?" called Tony.

"Yes, Tony?"

"Is Gibbs coming now?"

"In a few minutes, Tony. He's just as anxious to see you as you are to see him."

"What about Abby? She was here before."

"Abby went to the waiting room. I'm sure that she'll come back in a little while. She wants to give you and Gibbs a chance to talk first."

"Okay." Tony smiled and went back to flicking through the TV channels, looking for something interesting to watch.

"He doesn't want much," said Doctor Hansen as she observed Tony.

"No, he doesn't. As long as he has Gibbs around, he doesn't want anything else."

"I thought Agent Gibbs was Tony's boss?"

"He is. It's a complicated relationship, but it works and gives them both the comfort and feelings of love and belonging that they need." Emma sighed as she looked at Tony. "I feel bad for the poor guy. I can't imagine finding out that I got almost fatally injured, let alone finding out that it was by a trusted colleague."


	15. Chapter 14

"Hi, Tony."

Tony looked up with relief when the door opened to reveal his boss. Reaching out, he was glad that Gibbs immediately understood what he wanted and sat in the chair Abby had vacated a couple of hours earlier.

"How are you feeling?" Gibbs asked kindly.

"Tired." Tony looked at Gibbs. "Gibbs, what happened?"

"You were assaulted. Do you remember that?"

"No... Who assaulted me?" Tony asked, hoping that Gibbs would answer honestly. He waited a moment, then when he saw the hesitation on his boss' face, Tony asked, "please, Gibbs?"

Gibbs sighed as he realised that he wasn't going to be able to avoid the question. Tony was clearly feeling determined to have an answer, even if there wasn't one yet. "You aren't going to like the answer, but..."

"But what, Gibbs? You can tell me."

"Tony... You were assaulted by... by... Ziva," Gibbs managed to say without letting his anger take control.

Tony didn't believe Gibbs for a moment, but then he remembered what had happened in Tel Aviv. Ziva definitely had the strength and ability to do such damage. She had said a number of times that he was the reason Michael was dead, and that he had ruined her life. He knew it wasn't true, but he also knew that Ziva believed it was true.

"Are you sure?" Tony asked, trying to control his emotions.

"I wish I was wrong," said Gibbs softly. "I wish I could tell you something different. I'm sorry."

Tony didn't answer. He could feel the tears burning his eyes, but he fought them.

"Tony? Are you okay?"

"Is it my fault?" Tony asked so quietly, Gibbs had to really listen to hear it.

"Your fault? Absolutely not!"

"I must have done something wrong. Right?"

"Tony, you haven't done anything wrong. This is not your fault- not at all. I don't want you to be blaming yourself. Ziva is the one to blame here, which is exactly what has had happened this past week. We've been taking turns interrogating her in her prison cell to try and understand just what has happened."

"Did she give you an answer?"

"Not yet. I'm waiting to speak with McGee and see if they got anything this morning. I actually spent some time thinking about asking you, once you had woken up, to talk with her- over a video call, of course- and see if she would answer you truthfully. Seeing what she's done to you should get her to feel some kind of remorse, I hope."

"No."

"Okay. It's your choice."

"I can't do it, Gibbs. I can't do it. Sorry."

"Don't apologise, Tony. I'm not going to force you to do something you don't want to do. If you ever change your mind, I can arrange things."

Tony sighed. Closing his eyes, he finally let his tears fall. Why would she do that to him? He hadn't done anything to her. It wasn't fair.

* * *

"Gibbs, can Abby come in now?" Tony asked. He and Gibbs had been watching a boring TV show for ten minutes, but Tony was still upset. He wanted his best friend.

"Of course. I'll go and get her," answered Gibbs.

"Can you just send her a message? I don't want you to go."

"Okay." Gibbs typed out a message to Abby, which took almost three minutes, much to Tony's amusement at how Gibbs could still be so slow with the old flip phone. "She's coming."

"Thank you." Tony reached out and grabbed Gibbs' hand. "Please don't leave."

"I'm not leaving, Tony. When McGee gets here, which will be soon, I hope, then I'll step out to speak with him. Otherwise, I'm not going anywhere."

"Who's not going anywhere?" asked Abby as she made her way into the room, carrying flowers and a teddy bear.

"Gibbs," answered Tony.

"Oh, uh, well..."

"Well, what?" asked Gibbs.

"McGee and the director are in the waiting room. They want to talk to you."

"Okay." Gibbs smiled kindly at Tony. "I'll be back. I won't be gone long, and the waiting room is just down the hall. If you need me, give me a call, and I'll come right back."

"Is Abby staying?" Tony asked, sounding suddenly very afraid.

"If you want her to, then yes."

"I want Abby."

"I thought so." Gibbs smiled again. "I'll get Emma to check on you if I'm not back in ten minutes, alright?"

Tony nodded. He gripped the bear Abby had bought for him and allowed his best friend to give him a gentle hug, but his eyes followed Gibbs through the hall until he could no longer see his boss.

"Tony? Are you listening to me?" asked Abby.

Tony looked at Abby and shook his head. "Sorry."

"That's alright. I said that Gibbs won't be long. McGee and Vance didn't get much from her, so there isn't that much to tell."

"Why did Ziva do this?"

"I don't know. I tried to talk to her before she was sent to DC Women's Prison, but she decided she didn't want to talk." Abby shrugged. "It's her loss. We might have been able to help her if she had told us anything, but now it's too late. JAG have said that she's still in the early stages of becoming a citizen, so she can be deported if she's found guilty of any serious crimes."

"I want to know why she did it. Is that stupid?"

"No way. I'd want answers too. I do want answers. You're my big brother, after all." Abby smiled. "Hey, it's almost time for dinner..."

"Abby, it's only two o'clock."

"So? In three hours, it'll be dinner time. McGee and I have decided we want pizza for dinner. Do you want us to order you anything?"

A small smile lit up Tony's tired face at the thought of eating his favourite food. "That sounds nice, Abby."

"Good." Abby hugged him again. "Why don't you sleep for a while? You'll need energy to be able to eat a whole pizza."


	16. Chapter 15

Gibbs sighed as he sat with McGee and Vance in the waiting room, listening to them tell him that they couldn't interview or interrogate Ziva again. He couldn't believe that she had flat out refused to speak to them anymore. What had NCIS ever done to her? They had kept her safe and out of prison when she was framed for blowing up that cafe and the people on the sidewalk. They had saved her from Saleem's terrorist camp, then allowed her to come back to NCIS as a probationary agent. They had given her as much leeway as they possibly could without breaking the law. And now, even after what she had done to Tony, NCIS was still trying their best to help her avoid jail time as much as possible. And she didn't want to talk to them anymore?

"Gibbs, did you hear me?" asked Vance.

"What? No, I didn't," said Gibbs as he continued to think about everything they had ever done for Ziva.

"I said that the only way she'll talk is if we let her talk to Tony."

"That won't happen. Tony doesn't feel that he is able to talk to her, and I can't say that I blame him for it. She's the reason he spent five days in a coma. And she's the reason he's got a head injury as well as the rest of his injuries."

"I agree. I won't put him in that position, Gibbs. And it sounds as if you have already asked, so I won't ask again. Just let me know if he changes his mind."

Gibbs nodded. "So, you got nothing at all?"

"Sorry."

Gibbs shook his head. "It isn't your fault, Leon," he sighed. "Poor Tony needs answers, and I can't give him any. It's hard."

"I know that. We will get answers, even if it takes weeks. He'll get answers, Gibbs."

"Boss, can I go see Tony?" McGee asked.

"You can try. Just remember that he may not be feeling very trusting towards people right now," answered Gibbs sadly.

"Of course. I think, however, that I know just how to cheer him up. Is Abby already in there?"

"She is. Tell Tony that I'll be in there soon. I need some coffee first."

"Okay." McGee gave Gibbs a smile before leaving him alone with Vance.

"I think you need sleep, not coffee, Gibbs," said Vance as he followed the very upset agent to the elevator.

"I'll sleep later. Tony's awake, so I need to be awake as well. He needs someone to be there for him..."

"McGee and Ms Sciuto are with him. Take a break and get some much needed sleep. I doubt that Tony will be upset that you want to sleep."

* * *

McGee grinned as he stepped into Tony's room. Abby had clearly found a way to get Tony to fall asleep, because he was snoring softly-courtesy of the nasal cannula that Brad had placed in his nose a day and a half earlier- and Abby was busy decorating the room for the party that they had planned.

"Hi, Timmy," said Abby quietly. "What do you think? Will he like it?"

"He's going to love it, Abbs. How long has he been asleep?" asked McGee.

"About ten minutes. Is Gibbs alright?"

"He's sad that there's no news to give to Tony yet. And he's tired, but he refuses to sleep. He just wants to spend all his time in here."

"I noticed that. Honestly, it wouldn't be that hard- Tony wants Gibbs around and probably wouldn't let anyone kick him out anyway."

"Is it a good idea?"

"Maybe. For now, though, it won't harm them. It might even help both of them. It'll keep them happy."

McGee smiled. "I hope so."

* * *

Gibbs sighed a little before stepping into Tony's room. He could see that his friend was fast asleep, holding onto the teddy bear that Abby had given him earlier. He could see that Abby and McGee were on the couch, talking to each other. And he could tell that something about the room was different- strange things were hanging from the walls, and he could have sworn that there were balloons tied around the room.

"What have the two of you done?" Gibbs asked quietly.

"We want to throw a party for Tony. But we don't want him to know yet. We're just waiting for the pizza to come- that's his wake up call," said Abby cheerfully. "We want him to know that we love him and that he can still trust us."

"I think he does still trust you, Abby. He wasn't too worried that I left you and him alone together."

Abby smiled. "I know, but I still want to do this for my best friend. I want him to feel comfortable, and I know that the way to do that is with pizza."

McGee and Gibbs smirked as a knock on the door interrupted anything else that Abby may have wanted to say. McGee opened the door and gave a smile to someone on the other side. He handed over money and returned a minute later with four pizza boxes in his hands.

"Perfect timing," said McGee as he watched Tony stir and open his eyes.

* * *

That smell was delicious. Tony felt himself smile involuntarily as he recognised the smell to be his favourite food. Suddenly, sleep no longer seemed to be what his body wanted- his stomach growled a little, and Tony knew that he wanted something to eat- preferably the pizza that he could smell. Maybe Gibbs had ordered it? No, that wouldn't work. Gibbs hadn't even eaten much himself. So, maybe it was Abby? Gibbs had left them together when he went to speak with Vance. It would have been the perfect opportunity to order the pizza without Gibbs knowing until the last minute. Hopefully, Abby was still there. His best friend had made him feel a little better once Gibbs had left, and he really wanted her to stay longer and spend more time with her. Tony wanted to tell her about his weird dream, too. He knew Abby missed Kate, and he wanted to share a bit of his dream to help her feel better.

"Perfect timing."

That was McGee. Tony had known him long enough to be able to recognise his voice. Hesitation creeped in as Tony thought about McGee. Did the man like him still? Was he going to think that Ziva had done the right thing? Surely, McGee wouldn't hurt him, right? Especially while Gibbs and Abby were there too? Were Gibbs and Abby still there? Tony felt a little afraid as he opened his eyes slowly and peeked out to see who was in his room. But relief washed over him when he spotted Abby and Gibbs near the couch, and he saw that McGee was holding pizzas.


	17. Chapter 16

"Tim?" Tony asked quietly.

"Hey, Tony!" McGee exclaimed, before lowering his voice. "Sorry, that was loud."

Tony smiled. "It's okay. You aren't as loud as Abby is. I'm hungry."

McGee grinned. "Perfect. You're going to love the dinner we ordered..."

"It's pizza, Timmy, of course he's going to love it," Abby interrupted.

Tony watched with some mild amusement as Abby and McGee started arguing about who was going to help Tony get comfortable and sitting up to eat. They looked silly, fighting over something so simple, something that Gibbs was already doing.

"They've decided to have a party, Tony," said Gibbs as he raised the bed and helped his friend sit up. "They want you to remember that you can trust them."

"Of course I trust them," said Tony. "Abby's my best friend, and it seems that Tim doesn't agree with what Ziva's done."

"That's because he doesn't. He hates that she's hurt you. He's the only one on the team that's tried to talk to Ziva nearly every day to get her to explain why she's done this to you."

"Why?"

"Because he's the only one that knows how to control his anger." Gibbs smiled. "Are you feeling alright?"

"Yes. I'm just hungry, and it smells like someone ordered my favourite pizza."

A quiet laugh escaped Gibbs' mouth as he grabbed a plate and put a couple of pizza slices onto it. He handed it over to Tony. "Eat slowly. I don't want you to choke on it."

"Of course, Gibbs." Tony gave his boss a smile. "Can you stay here tonight? I know you've been here a lot, but could you please stay just one more night?"

"I'm not going anywhere. I promise you, I'm not going anywhere... Except maybe to invite Emma and Brad to eat with us," Gibbs added when he saw the two medical professionals outside the door.

Tony glanced up with a grin. "Emma," he called, trying to not aggravate his throat while it was still a little raw from having the ventilator tube in it.

* * *

Emma heard her name being called. She turned around, still listening to Brad with one ear, and smiled when she spotted who was calling her.

"Excuse me for a moment, Brad," said Emma. "I think a patient needs me."

"And who would that be?" Brad asked with a big smile, having heard Tony calling.

"Agent DiNozzo." Emma giggled at the look on Brad's face. "I'll be back soon."

"I highly doubt that," said Brad under his breath.

Emma smiled happily as she stepped into Tony's room and made her way over to his side. He always made her feel special, even when he wasn't trying, and it left her with the feeling of being alone with him.

"Hi, Tony," said Emma. "You look like you're feeling a little better."

"A little, yeah," said Tony. "Abby and Tim thought they would get pizza for dinner. Do you want to eat?"

"Have dinner with you? Sure. That sounds like a nice idea." Emma grinned. "Thank you, Tony."

Tony smiled. "You can share with me," he said, somewhat shyly.

"Thank you." Emma sat on the bed and took a bite of pizza. "I keep forgetting how weird your taste in pizza is. But it's still quite nice!"

* * *

After dinner, Emma and Brad left. Tony waved to them, then gave his team a smile.

"Thank you, all of you," said Tony. "This was really nice. You didn't have to do any of it."

"We wanted to, Tony," McGee said. "We care so much about you."

"I'm glad you aren't like Ziva. Thank you for being real friends."

"Anytime, Tony."

"We should get going," said Abby, taking McGee's arm. "You need some rest, Tony. We'll come back tomorrow, and I'll bring Sister Rosita with me."

"Gibbs? Are you still staying?"

"I am," said Gibbs. He smiled. "I'm right here."

Tony relaxed and smiled. "Can you watch a movie with me?"

"Sure." Gibbs pulled a chair over to the bed, but he didn't use it. He chose, instead, to sit on the bed next to Tony, and put an arm around his young friend's shoulders. "How are you feeling?" he asked softly once Tony had made himself comfortable by snuggling closer to Gibbs.

"Sleepy," admitted Tony.

"Why don't you close your eyes then? I'll still be here when you wake up."

"Don't move," whispered Tony as he let his eyes close. "Okay?"

"I won't," Gibbs whispered back before gently kissing Tony's head. "I love you, buddy."

Tony smiled a little. "Love you too," he said quietly just as he fell asleep.

* * *

Abby had stayed behind after leaving Tony's room. She was standing outside the closed door, smiling as she watched the way her best friend cuddled up to Gibbs the moment the older man sat on the bed. It was such a sweet scene to witness, and it brought tears to Abby's eyes. She, after all, knew that Tony saw Gibbs as a father figure, and she knew that Gibbs loved Tony like they were family.

"It's cute, isn't it?" asked Brad as he stepped up next to Abby.

"I've always wanted to see how they acted when they're alone together," replied Abby. "I knew that they loved each other, but I never imagined that they had admitted it to each other."

"I'm glad Tony and Gibbs have each other. They seem more comfortable when they're close by."

"They are more comfortable like that. You're right- it is cute."

"If Gibbs can stay with Tony, I think it might just be enough to get Tony to heal more. I can see the way Tony's face just lights up when Gibbs is around. That's exactly what Tony needs, I think."

"I agree. I'll speak to Gibbs in the morning, but I doubt it's going to take much to convince him to stay. He hates leaving Tony when he's got a cold- he won't want to leave Tony while he's injured." Abby smiled. "It's a shame that Gibbs isn't Tony's father. They'd both benefit from that."

"Just because they aren't related by blood, it doesn't mean that they aren't father and son, Abby."

"That's a good point."


	18. Chapter 17

When Tony woke up, he noticed that it was only ten pm. He was still snuggled into Gibbs' side in a comfortable position, and Gibbs was fast asleep. The position just felt right to Tony, and he really hoped that he could stay that way during the night.

"Hi, Tony," said a young man that had just finished writing on Tony's chart. "How are you feeling?"

"Okay. Gibbs is the best pillow in the world," said Tony. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ronnie. You look quite comfortable."

"I am." Tony smiled, feeling happy and content. "I actually feel a bit sore."

"Alright. I'll get you some pain relief. Do you think you can go back to sleep after that?"

"Yes. As long as I can stay like this."

"That's fine. Just make sure you're comfortable, and try not to get the cords and wires tangled around you."

"Thank you, Ronnie... Is Gibbs okay?"

Ronnie nodded as he injected morphine into Tony's IV. "He's probably catching up on sleep right now. He hasn't left you for a while, and he's barely slept since you've been in here."

"He's so nice to me."

"He loves you, just like you love him. Of course he's nice."

"People don't see him as nice. They're afraid of him."

"Some of the nurses might agree with that. Personally, I think he just wants to keep you safe."

Tony smiled. He made himself more comfortable, his head now resting on his boss' chest as he snuggled beneath his blankets and cuddled his new teddy bear. "Gibbs is a cuddly teddy bear, but I'm the only one that gets to see that. Oh, and Abby does too."

"Sounds like something special to me."

"It is," said Tony. He yawned as the morphine finally kicked in and his eyelids drooped. "I'm sleepy."

"Good. Go to sleep, Tony. You'll have the nurse you love in the morning. Emma, I think her name was."

Tony gave a small smile, but he didn't answer. A moment later, he was snoring softly and his breathing evened out. He was fast asleep before Ronnie had even stepped away from the bed.

* * *

Sunday morning came quickly for Gibbs. He had only just realised how much sleep he had missed out on in the five days that Tony had been unconscious. But, he knew that Tony needed him right then, or so he thought, and so he fought off his fatigue to concentrate on his agent.

Gibbs couldn't help smiling when he realised that Tony was still asleep. And he certainly couldn't stop the small chuckle that escaped when he realised that at some point during the night, Tony had all but climbed onto him during his sleep. Tony had his head resting on Gibbs' chest. His body was tucked into Gibbs' side, with his arm covering Tony's shoulders still. The bear that Abby had brought him was sitting underneath his injured arm. There was a smile firmly plastered on Tony's face, giving the younger man an almost innocent, angelic look. Gibbs felt his heart soften the longer he watched Tony, making sure that he was still breathing properly.

"Hi, Gibbs," said Emma with a smile. "I heard that you actually slept last night."

"Yeah... I didn't realise how tired I am, to be honest. I think having Tony conscious helped me feel a little better. Knowing that he's breathing on his own, with only a little oxygen to make sure his lungs are coping, is a relief."

"He's getting better. I read the nurses' reports from last night, and they all say the same thing- Tony's body is healing, and he's getting stronger. One of the nurses said that Tony woke up at ten pm last night for a few minutes. He was in pain, but he was still comfortable. My guess is that he's barely moved during the night- apparently Tony felt happy to be cuddled up next to you." Emma grinned. "I can't wait to use that against him."

Gibbs laughed softly. "He's going to be so happy to see you when he wakes up. He likes to talk about you and the fun you have together."

"Really?"

"Yes," came a small voice. "Hi, Emma."

"Good morning, Tony," said Emma. She gave her friend a beaming smile. "Is it okay if I give you a check-up? Brad isn't coming in today, but he's going to want to know if you're doing okay when he comes in tomorrow morning."

"You can do anything you want to, Emma," said Tony. He gave her a shy smile, which only served to increase the look of innocence on his face.

"Thank you." Emma couldn't help laughing as she began to check Tony's vitals, especially when he decided that he wasn't interested in her exam and chose to snuggle closer to Gibbs.

* * *

Abby was so glad that it was Sunday. She wanted to spend as much time as she could with Tony that day, and she knew that the ICU had different visiting hours to the rest of the hospital. She walked into Tony's room with a smile, carrying new flowers to replace the old ones and a container of waffles that she had made that morning.

"Hey, Tony," said Abby. She kissed his cheek after putting the flowers into the vase on the bedside drawers. "Are you feeling better this morning?"

"Yeah. Gibbs is soft," yawned Tony. "And his arm is warm and comforting."

"I see you like the teddy bear."

"I love my teddy. Thank you for him, Abby."

"Anytime. I'm glad you love it. I wasn't sure if you would."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I think that you've just grown up a lot since you were on the Seahawk. I'm glad that you're still my Tony, though."

Tony smiled. "Can you stay here today?"

"I'm only planning to leave if I get kicked out. Which will only result in me fighting to stay longer." Abby grinned.

Tony nodded, then looked at Gibbs. "Are you going?"

"Only if you want me to," answered Gibbs.

"I don't want you to leave yet."

"Then I'm staying with you."

"Cool!" Tony felt himself relax. "You can go have breakfast, if you want."

"Thank you. Are you going to be okay if I leave you with Abby?"

"Yes. Abby's my best friend, Gibbs. I trust her."

"Okay. I'll be back in about half an hour then. Abby has her phone if you need me before then, alright?"

"Okay, Gibbs." Tony waited for Abby to swap spots with Gibbs, then rested his head on her shoulder. "Can I tell you about my dream?" he asked.


	19. Chapter 18

Tony waited as Abby thought about his odd request. But, once she smiled, he relaxed once again.

"You can always tell me about your dreams, Tony," said Abby.

"I mean, a dream I had... I'm not really sure when I had it."

"Okay. Tell me."

Tony smiled. "I dreamed that I was talking with Kate."

"You did?"

"Yeah. We chatted for a really long time. Kate said she's happy, but she misses us. She got a puppy."

Abby nodded, but knew that it really had been a dream. So she just went along with it. "What's the puppy's name?"

Giggling, he said, "she named him Tony. It was because I made up a dog named Kate when I was on the run with Jeffery. An ugly dog."

"Of course it is. What else did you talk about?"

"So much. We talked about everything. Kate told me that she's my guardian angel."

"That I could believe. You really need a guardian angel with all the injuries you get. And you came back to us when we thought you weren't."

"Kate told me that she cared about me. She didn't really show it, but I believe her."

"You should. Kate told me many times how much you meant to her. When you were recovering after the plague, she spent three nights at my apartment, crying because she still thought we would lose you. Kate really did care, Tony. That is something you can take to the bank." Abby gave Tony a reassuring smile. "What else did she say? Did she mention anything about me?"

"She did. She told me that she misses you. She loved being your friend because you were so nice to her. She really loved how you dress so fashionably even though you always wear black. And she told me that you were always there when she needed a friend."

Abby sighed. "I really wish she was still with us, Tony."

"So do I, Abbs." Tony shook his head. "She told me off when I said that to her."

"Really?"

"Yeah. I thought she was a little unfair- I mean, after all, she's dead and we are the ones left mourning. But she was right, we don't need to be sad that she's gone. We can still miss her without crying about it." Tony smiled. "You know what else we discussed?"

"No. What?" Abby asked, almost eagerly.

"We talked about why she didn't mention Rachel while she was alive."

"What was her reason?"

"She wanted her personal life to stay private. I really think she meant that she wanted it to stay private from me so I couldn't pester her about meeting Rachel."

Abby giggled. "She'd be right to keep you in the dark about that one, Tony."

"True. But I wouldn't have done anything. I would have wanted to meet Rachel simply because I was curious about Kate."

"Why didn't you just tell that to her when she was alive?"

"Seriously? She would have eaten me alive!"

"That could be true, actually."

"She asked me how I feel about Ziva..."

"What did you say?"

"I told her that I like Ziva, but that she's not Kate, and we can't joke around like I did with Kate."

"They aren't the same person, Tony."

"Clearly," said Tony, a dark expression on his face. "Kate would never have hurt me, especially like this. She would never have tried to kill me for wanting to help her out of a bad situation."

"That's a pretty good point."

"We discussed other things too," said Tony, changing the subject.

Abby sighed quietly. She had hoped Tony would talk about his feelings on Ziva. "What other things?" she asked, hoping that he wouldn't hear her disappointment.

"We chatted about how I got the job at NCIS. Gibbs bullied them into hiring me."

Abby laughed loudly at that, then apologised. "Sorry. That was pretty loud. I hope I didn't hurt your head or ears."

"I'm good. Kate and I talked about other things too. We discussed how Gibbs thinks of me as his son, and about how I haven't been to Kate's grave in a couple of years." Tony sighed. "Abby... when I get out of here, can we go visit Kate?"

"If you want to."

"I really want to."

"Then, yeah, we can go to Kate's grave together. We'll get some really pretty flowers to make the grave look nice."

Tony smiled a little, even though it was a sad smile. "Thank you, Abby."

"Anytime. Now, tell me what else you and Kate spoke about."

* * *

Gibbs felt relieved that Tony trusted Abby to look out for him while he was in the cafeteria getting his breakfast- or, more appropriately, his coffee. His breakfast was being brought to him by McGee in a while. Gibbs just wanted to take a break from being with Tony so that he could gather his thoughts without letting Tony know that he was afraid of losing his friend.

"Hey, boss," said McGee from behind him.

Gibbs turned around and gave his agent a smile. "You're early, Tim."

"Yeah. I got out of my apartment early and thought I'd get something for Tony too. He must be hungry this morning."

"Not yet, but I'm sure we can put the food away for him to eat when he's ready."

"How is Tony today?"

"Pretty good, considering everything that's happened to him. I left him with Abby."

"Should I wait to see him?"

"No. You can go up there. Tell him I'll be up there in about ten or fifteen minutes."

"Okay." McGee handed over the waffles he had brought. "Are you okay, Gibbs? You look really upset."

"I'm fine. Tired, but fine. I think it's just hard because I know that Tony is still in a bad way and still in danger. I just worry that something else will happen to him."

"I spoke to a nurse on my way in. She told me that Tony's doing a lot better than we ever could have hoped for. You don't have to worry about anything now."

"I really hope that you're right about that, Tim," said Gibbs as he grabbed his coffee and decided to follow his agent to the elevators. "I really do."


	20. Chapter 19

Tony smiled, glad that Abby was happy to keep listening to his dream about Kate. He purposely had decided not to tell Abby about the conversation he had had with Kate about his childhood and his father, and so he skipped over it to talk about how he and Kate had laughed about all the near misses between them.

"In what way?" Abby asked. "What kind of near misses?"

"Physical ones," laughed Tony. "As in, things like Kate almost murdering me several times. And once where I swore she would have punched me had we been anywhere other than our desks."

"What did you do to deserve that?"

"Really dumb things, actually. Once, she almost killed me because I accidentally looked up her skirt. And, of course, there was the whole thing with Jeffery where I made up an ugly dog that I named Kate. She yelled at me in the bullpen later that night for it. I truly thought that she was going to explode."

Abby raised her eyebrows. "Why didn't I hear about this before now?"

"Because Kate also threatened to kill me if I told anyone." Tony grinned. "She actually scared me that day."

"Oh... I wish I had been there for that one."

"And who's side would you have been on?"

"I don't think I would have picked a side, I just want to see it." Abby pouted. "You should have at least told me afterwards. I could have watched it on the security tapes."

"Can't you just go into archives and find it?"

"No. It's too far back... Actually... I might just try that when I go to work tomorrow."

Tony laughed. "I didn't actually mean that, Abby."

"Too bad. The idea is in my head now."

"How about we change that? Kate also found my mother for me. Apparently they are friends."

"Did you see your mother?"

"For a little while, I did. But then I had to leave for some reason. It was strange, actually. I was having such a nice dream, but then I just felt like something was nagging at me."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, one minute, I was chatting with my mum. We were talking about things that happened when I was little and about how bad she felt for always being drunk before her death. Then, the next thing I know, I'm hearing Gibbs talking. It really was strange. He sounded upset. But, my dream was about Gibbs at the time, and he was really happy."

"Hang on. I want to hear more about your mother first."

Tony smiled. "When my mother was alive, she was always drinking. She was drunk a lot more than she was sober. But, my drunk mother was a better parent than my sober mother, oddly enough. Drunk Laura DiNozzo was affectionate and caring, whereas sober Laura was distant and cold."

"That's not a good parent."

"She's better than Senior ever was. And since she was drunk a lot of the time, I had a loving parent." Tony sighed. "I used to wish that she would drink when she was sober, just so I could have my 'cuddly mummy' back."

"Cuddly mummy?"

"That's what I used to call her when she was drunk." He shrugged. "After she was diagnosed with cancer and given only a few months to live, she stopped drinking. The doctors had warned her that if she wanted to do chemo, she wouldn't be able to have alcohol because it would interfere with her treatment. For a while, she was doing well, but then she chose to stop her treatment altogether. The doctor said that if she didn't want the treatment, he couldn't force her, but she couldn't take up drinking again because her liver wouldn't be able to handle it anymore. She didn't listen to him, and as soon as she started drinking again, her liver failed and she ended up in the hospital. She died that night, while we were watching a movie together."

"I'm so sorry, Tony." Abby put her arms around her best friend, being careful to not hurt his left arm or hand. "I'm really sorry."

"I'm not. She did it to herself, Abby. She had been given more time after starting chemo, and she chose to end her life. She chose to leave her ten year old son without a mother. I've never forgiven her for it, Abbs, never."

"Why not?"

Tony shook his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"And Abby isn't going to push you to talk about it," said Gibbs in warning as he and McGee stepped into the room.

"Of course not," said Abby. "I love Tony, remember?"

"Are you hungry, Tony?"

"A little bit." Tony smiled at McGee. "Hi, Timmy."

"It's so good to see you actually awake and alert enough for a conversation, Tony," said McGee as he divided up the food he had brought.

"Thanks." Tony turned his head to look at his boss. "I was telling Abby about this really cool dream I had."

"I heard you say something about having a dream about me," said Gibbs. "What was that dream, exactly?"

Tony giggled as he thought of the dream he had been having. "You were telling me that I did a really good job at work. And you were having so much trouble telling me about your feelings."

Abby and McGee both laughed along with Tony at that. Neither of them would have ever admitted that they had found it funny watching Gibbs express himself- in fact, nobody other than Tony would have ever done that. They were all too scared of what Gibbs would do to them.

"How is that funny, DiNozzo?" Gibbs asked, though he also had a smile on his face.

"Oh, Gibbs. I wish you could have seen your face in that dream."

"Well, I suggest you don't dream about me anymore, Tony."

"Sure, boss. I'll try not to."

Gibbs shook his head. "You are so very cheeky sometimes. It's a good thing I'm not allowed to slap the back of your head right now."

Tony frowned. "I didn't ask Brad about my injuries. What's wrong with my head?"

Gibbs sighed. "I really don't want to answer that, buddy."

"Please tell me."

"You... A neurologist had to drain fluid from around your brain when you came into the hospital."

"Okay. Why?"

"Because you were punched several times in the head," said McGee when Gibbs looked like he had forgotten his voice.

"Ziva punched me in the head?" Tony asked incredulously. "Why?"

"All we've been able to get out of her so far is that, and I quote, 'you are the reason that she is in trouble'."

"What trouble is she in?" This time, Tony just sounded curious.

"You don't remember our discussion with Vance?"

"No. When did we talk to Vance?"

"On Monday morning. A week ago."

"I don't remember that. Why is Ziva in trouble?"

"Because she harbored a fugitive, Tony," said Gibbs. "You didn't believe that she would do it, but after the way she attacked you for no reason, I'd bet my job that she did harbor someone."

Tony frowned. "I think I want to talk to her, Gibbs. Is that okay?"


	21. Chapter 20

"Why the hell would you want to talk to Ziva!?" demanded Abby.

"She's the reason you're in hospital!" exclaimed McGee.

"Both of you, shut-up!" said Gibbs softly, yet firmly. "Firstly, that is just too loud. Tony's in enough pain without the two of you giving him a headache or an earache. Secondly, if Tony wants to talk to Ziva, that's his right. He is capable of making his own decisions, and he has chosen to talk to her. Third, if I hear about either of you trying to change his mind, I'll slap the both of your heads so hard, you'll fly into tomorrow. Do you both understand me?"

McGee quickly nodded, wisely keeping his mouth shut. Abby, however, opened her mouth to argue with Gibbs.

"But she almost killed him, Gibbs. What if she tries again?"

"She can't do anything when she's cuffed and surrounded by a dozen guards, Abby. And I wouldn't ever let Tony near her, anyway. He can talk to her via a video call." Gibbs frowned. "Don't you dare argue the point with me, Abby."

"Uh... do I get a say in this?" Tony asked. "I don't want to go to the prison. I wouldn't be allowed to go anyway while I'm in here. I don't even really want to see her. I just want to know why she hurt me. And since nobody has been able to get the truth out of her, I want to try. I think I at least deserve the truth from her."

"If you want to talk to her, Tony, I'll organise it," said Gibbs gently. He smiled. "You just tell me what you want and when you want to do it so I can set it up."

"Today?"

"Okay. I'll go and find Emma and see if we can get something to have a video conference on."

"Gibbs?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"Ask Emma for an iPad or laptop, okay?"

Gibbs shook his head. "Don't be a smart ass, DiNozzo."

"Couldn't help it, boss."

Gibbs chuckled. "I'll be right back, Tony. Do you want me to kick these two out?"

"No. I want to eat breakfast with my friends before I talk to Ziva." Tony glared at Abby and McGee. "A nice, quiet, calm breakfast without talk about my decision."

* * *

Breakfast passed without another incident, but Tony soon found himself tired. He yawned as he let his head rest on Gibbs' shoulder.

"Tony, get some sleep. You won't be able to talk to Ziva for a couple of hours, so you have plenty of time to rest," said Gibbs quietly.

"Okay." Tony lifted his left arm to make it more comfortable, then frowned. "Gibbs?"

"Yes?"

"My arm feels strange."

"Strange, how?"

"It's heavy. Well, heavier than normal."

"Is it sore?"

"Yes."

Gibbs nodded. "Alright. I'll get a nurse to give you some morphine. That should help you get some rest too."

"Thank you, boss." Tony yawned again and cuddled up against Gibbs' side, his eyes shut already.

"Anytime, Tony." Gibbs smiled as he watched Tony while they waited for a nurse. The quiet in the room now that they were alone again was already putting Tony to sleep, and he looked so peaceful.

"Hi, Gibbs. What can I do for you?" asked Emma.

"Tony's arm is hurting him. He said it was feeling heavier than normal."

"Okay. I'll give him some morphine to take away his pain."

"Thanks, Emma," whispered Tony.

"No problem." Emma gave her patient a warm smile as she quickly injected the morphine into his IV. "Get a good sleep, Tony." Emma looked at Gibbs. "I'll bring you the iPad in a couple of hours."

"Okay." Gibbs smiled. "I'm glad you're looking out for Tony."

"Of course I am. He's my friend, you know."

"I know." Gibbs thanked Emma again as she stepped out of the room and shut the door. "You are a very lucky person, bud. Emma will do anything for you."

"Em... she's pretty..." mumbled Tony as he finally fell asleep.

* * *

Abby sighed as she and McGee sat in the ICU waiting room. She had wanted to stay by Tony's side after breakfast, but Gibbs had made things very clear- she and McGee were not allowed back into Tony's room until after he spoke to Ziva, and they weren't allowed to speak about his decision with him. They understood, of course, but it was hard anyway. Abby had planned to spend all day with Tony, and that plan had not included sitting in a waiting room for hours.

"We did bring this upon ourselves," said McGee. "We shouldn't have questioned Tony's choice. We should have known that he and Gibbs would have already discussed the situation and come to an agreement."

"Yeah, I know," agreed Abby reluctantly. "But, what if she does or says something that hurts him again? We know that she has no remorse for what she did to him."

"Gibbs won't let anything happen. He's too protective of Tony to let something bad happen."

"That's true. I'm glad that he cares about Tony so much... Tony needs someone in his life."

"Someone, how?"

"What?"

"You said that Tony needs someone in his life. What did you mean by that?"

Abby shook her head. "I just meant that he needs someone he can trust. I know he has us, but it's not the same. We have our families to turn to when things gets tough. Who does Tony have?"

"Isn't his father still alive?"

"Yeah, but I don't think they talk to each other. I think that's why he loves Gibbs so much- Gibbs cares about him just like a father should."

McGee smiled. "I like watching them when they interact sometimes," he admitted. "It's like watching a happy family."

Abby nodded. "I think that they are a happy family. Tony is always staying at Gibbs' house and Gibbs always visits Tony." She smiled. "We need to make sure that they stay that close."


	22. Chapter 21

When Tony woke up, he found Emma setting up a laptop on the table. He blinked the sleep from his eyes and then smiled.

"Hi, Emma," he said. "It's been a while."

Emma laughed as she turned to look at Tony. "Has it now?" She glanced at the clock, grinned, and said, "it's been two hours. That was such a long time ago."

"It was," Tony insisted, before he laughed as well. "Is that so I can talk to Ziva?"

Emma nodded. "Gibbs wants you to wait for him to come back from the bathroom. He said he'll sit on the couch so she doesn't know he's there, but he wants to be close by in case you need anything."

"Okay." Tony sighed. "Emma? Do you think she'll tell me the truth?"

"I don't know. In my opinion, I don't think she deserves your time. But, I do understand why you want to talk to her, and it's your decision, so I won't say anything about it. You know how to use Skype, don't you?"

"I do."

"Okay. I've set it up for you. The account is mine, but I've changed the name for now so that she sees that it's you calling. She probably wouldn't answer if anyone else's name appeared."

"Thank you, Emma." Tony smiled in relief. "Thank you so much."

"Anytime." Emma looked to the door. "Okay, Gibbs is back. I'll go, but call if you need me, alright?"

Tony nodded. "Emma?"

"Yes?"

"Am I making a mistake?"

"Talking to Ziva? I don't think so. If I was you, I'd want the truth too. There's nothing wrong with wanting answers, Tony."

"Okay." Tony smiled as Gibbs came to stand beside him. "Don't go far, Emma. I might need you pretty soon."

"I'll be at the nurses' station when you're ready." Emma smiled and stepped out of the room, giving Tony and Gibbs a chance to talk.

"Are you still sure that you want to do this, Tony?" Gibbs asked.

"Yeah. Emma told me that you would stay in the room. Is she right?"

"She is."

"Good. I don't want to be alone, Gibbs."

"You won't be. Remember, you can end the chat as soon as you want to, okay?"

"I know." Tony smiled a little and took a deep breath. "Here I go..." he said as he clicked on the icon for the jail and waited to be connected.

* * *

"Ms David, you have a video call from a Tony DiNozzo," said a guard as Ziva was led into a private conference room with her lawyer.

"He is actually calling me?" Ziva asked her lawyer.

"Yes," answered the lawyer.

"Why?"

"He wants to talk to you, I guess? I don't know, Ziva. I just know that you have a call from him." The lawyer sat down at the waiting laptop and beckoned Ziva to join him.

Ziva sat down and accepted Tony's call curiously. She was unsure of whether he knew where she was or if he knew that she was responsible for his injuries. She didn't think that anyone would have allowed Tony to talk to her- over a video call or in person.

"Hello, Tony," said Ziva after a minute of silence.

* * *

Tony hesitated when Ziva said hello. He didn't know whether he wanted to actually know the truth now. It was going to be hard to hear, he was sure of it, and he didn't think he would be able to handle it right then.

"Tony? Can you hear me? Is the connection bad?" Ziva was asking.

Tony shook his head. "I can hear you." He swallowed around a lump that had formed in his throat. "I just want to know one thing, Ziva. Why did you do it? Why did you do this to me? What could I have possibly done to you to deserve to be beaten to a bloody pulp?"

"You got me into trouble."

"How? I don't remember anything past last Sunday, but I know that I would never do anything to hurt you or get you into trouble. Please don't blame me for something you may have done to yourself."

"Tony... I did not mean to hurt you."

"You had to have meant some of it. I'm laying in a hospital bed with severe head injuries from you punching and kicking me. Those injuries don't occur from accidental attacks."

"I did not mean it. But, when I saw you on Monday, I felt so angry. I hated you. I do not really think that you are responsible for my troubles, Tony, but you are easy to blame."

Tony bristled, but kept his voice calm and level. "Ziva, that is not nice. Why would you think that I would even understand that? Just tell me what's going on."

"My friend is in trouble. I had to protect her."

Tony frowned, not sure what Ziva was talking about. "I don't get it... Wait... That's what Vance was saying on Monday morning..." Tony frowned. "I guess I do remember something after Sunday. You could have come to me. I would have helped you tell Gibbs and Vance, Ziva."

"I did not want you to be involved. Or Gibbs. Or Vance."

"But, yet, here we are. I'm in the hospital, and you are in a jail cell. You've been charged with assaulting a federal agent, Ziva. That's not a light charge. You could spend the rest of your life in prison for this."

"I will not. I will be deported."

"And jailed. Just because someone is deported, Ziva, it doesn't mean they get to run free in their homeland. They still go to prison."

"My father will save me."

Tony sighed. "Ziva, you can't be saved, unless you save yourself. All you need to do is give a statement to Vance. A truthful statement. Just explain what's been going on and why you attacked me. It will help- even if it means a reduced sentence."

"I cannot do that, Tony."

"Yes, you can. Ziva, believe it or not, I really think that you didn't actually mean to do this much damage to me. But you did it. Now is the time to confess it." Tony sighed again. "Please?"

Ziva hesitated. "I... I will think about it."


	23. Chapter 22

Vance had been surprised to hear from the prison only a day after Tony's video call with Ziva. Gibbs had updated him on the call and had mentioned that he didn't think Ziva would make a statement based on what he had heard in her voice- something that Tony had reluctantly admitted to hearing as well. In fact, Vance was over the moon with joy at the knowledge that Ziva was going to make a sworn statement regarding not only what she had done to Tony, but also in regards to her harbouring the wanted friend of hers. It was a relief. They could now make some headway with both cases, and get justice for Tony at the same time. Tony could let himself heal now.

Collecting what he needed, Vance made his way out of his office and into the bullpen, finding McGee sitting at his desk.

"Agent McGee, care to join me at the prison for David's statement?" Vance asked.

"She's making a statement? Really? Since when?" McGee asked.

"Since this morning, apparently. Tony must really have gotten through to her."

"Abby and I were wrong, then. We didn't think that Tony would get far with Ziva. In fact, we both thought it was a stupid idea for him to contact her in the first place."

"I thought that too, but it was always going to be his choice, not ours. He made his choice, and it turned out to be a good one. Are you coming?"

"Yes, of course." McGee stood and followed Vance to the elevator. "Does Tony know about this?"

"I informed Gibbs. I don't know if he's said anything to Tony yet."

"Tony is going to be so happy to hear it."

* * *

Tony woke up to find Gibbs sitting on the end of his bed, looking excited and anxious at the same time. Confusion filled him as he sat himself up carefully.

"Boss?" he asked quietly, not wishing to startle the older man.

"Yeah, Tony? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine. What are you doing?"

"Thinking."

"About?"

"Ziva... She agreed to make a statement this morning. Vance is heading out to the prison today to get that statement."

"Good."

"Yeah... I don't get it though. Yesterday, she had no intention of giving one, even when you asked her. Why did she change her mind all of a sudden?"

"Who cares? Once she makes that statement, she'll be charged and sent to jail."

"I care. What if she has some sort of ulterior motive?"

"You said you would protect me, Gibbs. She won't be able to do anything with you around."

"Does that mean that I can't do my job then?" asked Dr Hansen.

"Of course not," laughed Tony.

"Good. I need to take a look at those stitches in your head, Tony. I want to take them out today."

"Does that mean that I need more anesthetic?"

"No. It won't hurt to take them out."

"Good. I don't want to go under again."

"Can't say that I blame you about that one, Tony."

"When are you taking them out?"

"As soon as I get a look at them."

"Okay." With a relieved smile, Tony settled against his pillows, using Gibbs' shoulder to rest his head while Dr Hansen gently poked and prodded the incision she had made in his head.

"The cut is looking good. It's almost healed, so I'll take out the stitches, clean it a bit, and then you can relax and not worry about it again." Dr Hansen returned Tony's smile as she carefully cut each stitch and pulled them out. "There. Done."

"Thank you."

* * *

The DC Women's Prison was just as depressing as it had been the first time McGee stepped foot in it a week ago. The women seemed to be enjoying themselves, or, at least, the ones that were allowed to wander around during the day seemed to enjoy themselves, anyway. But that was the only thing that seemed somewhat normal. There was certainly nothing around to make prisoners feel comfortable about being there.

"McGee, let's go. The guards are waiting for us," called Vance.

McGee shook his head to clear the thoughts that were swirling around inside. "Sorry, sir. I'm coming."

"Are you okay?"

"Yes. I just was thinking about how some of the women in here seem content. There's nothing that even remotely resembles normalcy, but yet they are happy."

"Those are probably the women that don't have a long sentence." Vance sighed. "The ones we pass now are not going to be content, McGee. Especially not David."

"She's done this to herself. She had no right to hurt Tony. He was just trying to help her."

"I know that. I don't agree with what she's done either. Whatever happens to her next is all her doing. But, we need to be professional. Can you be professional?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. Then let's go."

McGee sighed as he followed Vance through a few doors and into an interrogation room. Ziva was sitting at the table with her lawyer already, and her lawyer looked furious.

"Shall we get started, then?" asked Vance coolly.


	24. Chapter 23

Ziva's lawyer was clearly angry with Ziva. He was giving her dirty looks as she made her statement, and he continually interrupted her. He was obviously trying to stop Ziva, but she wasn't listening to him. She had made up her mind, and nothing could ever change her mind if she didn't want it to be changed.

"I have just one question for you, David," said Vance as he finished taking notes from Ziva's confession. "Why are you admitting your actions now? I gave you several chances before now, and you were very adament that you weren't going to admit anything."

"That is not your business. I have spoken to you, given you my statement. Now, you will deport me back to Israel." Ziva frowned. "Did you not get what you want?"

"I want you to understand the enormity of your actions."

"I understand. I do not feel remorse, but I understand."

Vance sighed and shook his head, but decided against continuing the line of conversation. He had everything he needed to put Ziva behind bars for the rest of her life, or to choose to deport her and let her homeland punish her. There was nothing else that he needed from the woman that he had once loved as much as his own children.

"I have one question for you," said McGee, surprising everyone. He had been quiet up until now. "You mentioned in your statement that Tony is responsible for your actions, yet you also take full blame for the same actions. That doesn't make any sense to me. How can you blame Tony for what you've done to him?"

"I can blame anyone. Tony will take responsibility, at least in my father's eyes. Whatever you do to me, my father will make sure that Tony pays."

McGee felt his mouth drop open in shock. He couldn't believe what he had just heard. He was sure that he had heard wrong. He had to have heard wrong.

"McGee, let's go," said Vance quietly in the agent's ear. "It's time to go."

McGee stood up, feeling like he was on autopilot. He had a nagging urge to go and tell Gibbs everything, to give Tony a gun for protection. He wanted to do something to stop Eli David from hurting, maybe even killing, Tony.

* * *

"Gibbs, we are on our way to the hospital. I need to speak with you urgently. Is there someone that can stay with Tony for a while?" Vance asked as he drove towards Bethesda as fast as he could.

"Yeah, I can get his nurse in here to stay with him. I'm sure that she won't say no- they like each other quite a lot. Why?" asked Gibbs.

"I can't tell you over the phone. Just trust me. Stay with Tony until I get there, and then I'll leave McGee with Tony and the nurse, just in case."

"Is Tony in danger?"

"It's possible. I don't know for sure."

"How far away are you? I don't think I'll be able to hide the worry from Tony for very long."

"If the car in front of us moves already, then we can go faster. I should be about twenty minutes away."

Vance heard a sigh from Gibbs. "Okay. I guess that's not too long of a wait. Hurry."

The phone line went dead and there was silence in the car, except for the hushed sound of sirens on their roof. Vance thought about how he was going to break the latest news to Gibbs. He thought about what he would say to Tony, because he had no doubt in his mind that Tony was going to want to know why Gibbs was anxious and why Vance would only want to speak in private. How was he going to tell Tony that Ziva had only given them a statement to expedite her sentencing and get her father out to DC? No doubt about it, and McGee had agreed, Ziva's lawyer would have immediately called Eli David with an update on NCIS' investigation into Ziva's actions. Then there was the matter of finding the woman Ziva had been harbouring. She had admitted to it, had even provided the woman's first name. But, what would probably have been an easy task would be complicated and obstructed at every turn once Eli was in town. He would not only protect his daughter and go after Tony, but he would also protect this woman. At least, that was the theory. Vance was hoping that Eli would want nothing to do with the woman since she was ex-Mossad and a fugitive.

* * *

"Boss?" asked Tony when Gibbs returned to the hospital room.

"Yeah, Tony?" Gibbs asked after a moment in which he managed to stamp down his emotions.

"Who was on the phone? Vance? McGee?"

"Vance. He and McGee are on their way here to tell us about Ziva's statement." That was true enough. Tony didn't need to know that Vance thought something was going to happen. Not yet, anyway. "Are you okay for a moment while I go and see if Emma's free?"

"Emma is free, Agent Gibbs," said a smiling Emma from the doorway. "Is something wrong?"

"Actually, I was hoping you could stay with Tony for a while? Not now, just when Vance arrives. He wants to show me something, but he obviously can't bring it in here, so I need to leave the room for a while."

"Of course I can stay here." Emma's eyes lit up with a mischievous twinkle and her smile grew wider. "Spending time with Tony is always fun. Isn't that right, Tony?"

A smile lit up Tony's face. "Definitely, Emma."

"Good. I'll be back as soon as I see Director Vance." Emma gave Tony another smile and then left, shutting the door behind her.

"Boss?"

"Yes, Tony?"

"Did I ever tell you how pretty Emma is? And how smart and sweet she is?"

"A thousand times. Why don't you tell her already? She knows you're in love with someone, but I think she thinks that it's Ziva. Or, that it was Ziva."

"Ziva? Where did she get that idea?"

"I don't know."

"Even if this had never happened, I don't have feelings for Ziva. We were friends, and nothing more."

"I know that. You need to tell Emma that. In fact, when she comes back in, you can tell her."

"What if she thinks I'm insane?"

"I highly doubt that would happen. If I'm right, she feels the same way as you." Gibbs smiled then, seeing the look of pure happiness on his friend's face. He knew he had made the right decision in telling Tony about Emma's feelings.


End file.
